A Fight to the Death
by Jaguarin
Summary: Dinah needs face her fears and Huntress needs face an old enemy. Merry Christmas!
1. Default Chapter

This fic happens between Split, episode number 7 and Gladiatrix, episode number 9. So we have a Reese that is starting to trust in Huntress and a Dinah still in training. Thanks so much to my friend Nightstalker for helping me editing this.

* * *

Being a crime fighter is not easy. Being a stalker. Moving in the shadows; hiding, watching; with all your senses focused on any small danger signal. Your life is always on the thin line. The adrenaline of not knowing if you are going to come back home or not, maybe that is the thing that addicts me to this nocturnal life. We are like dark angels taking care of all the people in New Gotham. Most of them will never know that their lives were at risk and that we saved them. We will never hear a "thank you," we don't work for "thanks," we do this because... well, how can I explain it? We do this because... because... oh damn, as Barbara says, We do it because it's who we are. I guess that explains everything.

Sometimes I think it is more difficult to be a normal human being, they are more exposed than us, the meta-humans, they are vulnerable, they don't have any special abilities. Sometimes I don't know how they survive their own madness.

Humans are weird, and they say we are. They invent so many strange things to kill each other and "innocent" objects that are really dangerous.

"Stay still!" The firm voice of Barbara pulled Helena from her inner thoughts.

"I am still," the brunette protested. She was seated on the kitchen table while Barbara cleaned a wound on her lower arm. A deep wound.

"Explain to me EXACTLY how you injured yourself opening a can of peanuts?" Barbara shook her head. "You just have to pull the tab."

"Well, it's not may fault the tab broke and I had to use a knife to open it. The knife slipped. It was an accident."

"I'm glad she didn't use a machete." Alfred smirked while he swept the peanuts that were all over the kitchen floor.

Dinah walked out of the elevator. She was returning after going shopping with Gabby that Saturday afternoon. She was a nice friend, the best one that she could find in that school, the change had been hard, but she had helped her a lot. She looked at the mess in the kitchen. Peanuts were everywhere and a large can was next to her feet. It had a big hole in the middle of one of its sides. She picked it up and walked toward Barbara and Helena.

"The can attacked you, Helena?" she asked.

"Yes, and the can won." Barbara said, pouring a bit of alcohol on the brunette's arm, who jumped in her place. "Stay still, you!" the red head said.

"I am," Helena growled.

Dinah helped Alfred pick up the peanuts on the table. "Looks like it was a massive battle."

"No jokes, Dinah." Helena glared at her.

"Have you ever tried to open a coconut?" the teen asked.

"Don't give her any ideas, Miss Dinah," Alfred scolded, putting some peanuts in the trash.

"It was just an accident," Helena defended herself.

"Okay, finished." Barbara finished bandaging her arm and moved back. "I don't understand how you can deal with dangerous criminals and then get defeated by a can of peanuts."

Helena looked at her arm.

Alfred walked toward her. "I would really appreciate it if, next time, you call me."

"It was an accident and I'm okay."

"Oh, good." He gave her the broom, "So you can finish, there are still peanuts under the table.

The girl looked at Barbara who smiled and nodded. "It was your fault."

Helena rolled her eyes and jumped down, while Barbara and Alfred walked toward the elevator.

"Miss Barbara, I hope you remember that your father's birthday is tonight."

"I never forget it," she smiled, "I bought him a nice sweater. Helena, today is my dad's birthday, want to come?"

"Um..." Helena mumbled, "I have to work extra hours tonight... remember? I didn't go to work on Monday and I promised Leonard I'd work a double shift today."

"Oh, yes, true..." Barbara remembered, "we were working on those jewelry robberies."

"Yes... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, want to come Dinah?"

"Uh? Me?" the teen asked.

"You, I guess this is a good time to meet him. I have talked to him about you and he wants to meet you."

"Sure, sure..."

"Good, be ready at seven." She wheeled inside the elevator.

"Her Dad? Oh my... what do I say?" Dinah looked at Helena, who continued sweeping without paying attention. "I don't know him... he doesn't know me." The brunette seemed not to be listening. "Helena."

"What?"

"What do I do?"

"What do you do with what?" Helena kneeled to pick up the trash.

"I don't know Barbara's father."

"And?"

Dinah looked her disconcerted. "What do I say to him?"

Helena stood up and looked at her. "Hi, my name is Dinah Lance, nice to meet you. What else?" she shrugged her shoulders and went to the basket.

"Not funny." Dinah sighed.

The brunette cleaned her hands and stood up in front of her. "He is just Barbara's dad. Go to his party, say hello, enjoy and have fun."

"What's he like?"

"Old, tall, he hass a mustache, he wears eyeglasses and is damn smart." She went toward the elevator.

"Helena, wait," Dinah said.

"I have to go, it's late and Leonard will kill me if I'm late today."

Dinah, frustrated, shook her head. She turned to see Alfred. "Do you know what he's like?"

"He is a very respectable man, intelligent, serious, hard, with a strong character; but very warm and lovely with Miss Barbara, he loves her so much." Alfred explained, as he finished cleaning the kitchen. "They have almost the same character. Mr. Gordon was an honest policeman, he is respected by all Gotham's citizens."

"Helena didn't seem too excited about going."

"Well..." he raised his brow, "you know her."

"Tell me," Dinah asked, almost in a whisper.

"Excuse me?"

"Tell me. I know you know more."

"Miss Dinah, it is not good to be so curious," Alfred pointed out.

"I'm trying to be part of this family," she said, frustrated, "but it's hard because everybody here has secrets. Very complicated secrets. I'm trying to understand them. Please help me."

He looked at her in silence.

"Please?"

"Well," he looked around, taking care that Barbara and Helena were far and he leaned toward Dinah. "This is just between you and me."

"Yes." The girl nodded.

"Master Gordon doesn't understand exactly what Miss Barbara sees in Miss Helena. Why she took care of her. He thinks she is the obnoxious, snippy daughter of an ex-criminal. Miss Helena knows that he doesn't particularly like her, the feeling is mutual. It was difficult in the beginning," Alfred remembered those years. "They had discussions; very hard discussions. It was painful for Miss Barbara, she felt trapped; she loved him as her father and she loved Helena as her daughter; Miss Helena was broken, on the edge; Miss Barbara had known her since she was a child and she didn't have the heart to leave her alone in those difficult moments."

"Oh... I didn't know that...." Dinah mumbled.

"Luckily, both stopped, they did it when they discovered how much they were hurting Miss Barbara. They understood their differences would never be solved and were only causing the person that they most loved, Miss Barbara, to suffer. Master Gordon is a smart man, he knows how much Miss Helena helped his daughter to deal with her paralysis; he knows she was part of that miracle that brought her back to life after losing her ability to walk..."

Dinah listened in silence to the story that Alfred was telling her. She could almost see the images in front of her.

The old butler smiled gently. "And Miss Helena is not stupid, she's not selfish, she knows the love of a daughter for a parent; she would never forgive herself if she had been the cause of a separation between Miss Barbara and her father. She told me once, she couldn't let Miss Barbara feel the same pain that she was feeling for the loss of her mother. She didn't have the right."

"That was nice," Dinah said.

"She has a big heart, but she doesn't like to acknowledge it. Miss Helena is okay with him because he is Miss Barbara's father, and he does the same. The two tolerate each other because of Miss Barbara; she knows that, and she is very grateful because it's an act of love that they do just for her. So, I would suggest that you not push Miss Helena so much about him." He took a deep breath and looked toward the clock. "Batman and James Gordon shared a special friendship, even though Gordon didn't know who the man was under the mask. It's an irony that many years later their daughters follow their same way."

"He doesn't know Helena is Batman's daughter?"

"No, she says that she likes for people to accept her for who she is, not her father."

"I understand. But maybe I won't like him either," Dinah said worried.

"Miss Helena and Master Gordon have strong characters, but they are opposite poles. Don't be afraid, he is a nice man. You will enjoy the night."

"Are you sure?"

"I have never lied to you."

"True."

"Well, time to work," Alfred said, walking toward the elevator, "Maybe you can think of what present to give him."

"Oh, yes!" Dinah hit her head with her hand.

"May I suggest a book? He loves sci-fi books."

The teen's eyes shone. "Oh, good idea, there is a book store at the corner, I'll go."

She gave him a kiss and ran toward the elevator. He smiled, grateful for that unexpected kiss.

* * *

Dinah took almost one hour trying to choose the best dress; she wanted to make a good impression on him. Finally, she chose a blue dress. She liked blue. She and Barbara went to Mr. Gordon's apartment that night. Dinah couldn't hide her nervousness. The redhead parked the car in front of the apartment building.

"Am I okay?" Dinah asked.

"Yes, you look beautiful." Barbara smiled.

"Do you think I will like him?"

"Sure, why not?" Barbara was open, her voice always soft, almost caressing. She always made Dinah feel comfortable.

"Well..." the teen hesitated a few seconds "I'm not your family..." she said, almost with sadness. She didn't have a family, just her and Helena. Her mother had died and she didn't know anyone else who would want to take care of her.

"Dinah, I have talked to him so many times about you. Don't worry. He knows who you are."

"He knows about mom?"

"Well, not that so much," Barbara explained, "he knows your mom was my friend, but not 'Black Canary', just Carolyn."

"Oh... and... what did he say... about me?"

The redhead laughed lightly realizing her fear. "Alfred told you?"

"Told me what?" she blushed.

Barbara understood the blonde girl. All her life she had been among people that had rejected her, that had hurt her. She put her hand on the girl's thigh and locked her eyes on hers. "He told you, I know, I'm sure of that. Look Dinah, things were different; the moment was different; we were different; we were hurt. Helena had lost her mother, she was filled with anger; I was trying to deal with my disability, and my dad was trying to protect me, he thought I couldn't face my limitations, and he was afraid anyone would hurt me."

Dinah felt ashamed for bring those bad memories to Barbara's mind.

"He thought Helena would be like her mother," Barbara explained, smiling sadly. "He knows who she was; Helena was confused, hurt. She was hiding her pain behind her rude attitude; he didn't understand how I could tolerate her. She hurt me... she hurt me so many times with her words and her attitudes; but I understood she was trying to avoid loving anyone and being loved. My dad said I didn't have the responsibility of caring for her, that she was ungrateful and that I couldn't expect more from Catwoman's daughter. I understood him, and I understood her."

"It was hard for you."

"I can't deny that, but luckily both understood they couldn't change each other." She caressed the girls cheek with her long, soft fingers. "They learned to respect each other. So, don't feel afraid, my dad is not an ogre, he's a wonderful man with a big heart and has given his life for this city. Helena has come to his birthday. Don't think she avoided him; but it's true, we were working on the jewelry case and she promised she would work today."

Dinah smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, come on, it's late." Barbara winked.

They moved out of the Hummer and went inside the building. The elevator took them to the upper level. A woman of Barbara's age, with long, black hair opened the door of James Gordon's apartment.

"Hi Babs." She greeted, hugging her.

"Rene! Nice to see you!" Barbara hugged her back.

"Hey, you look great!" She noticed the blonde teen behind her. "Hi, and you are?"

"Oh, she is Dinah, Dinah Lance," Barbara explained, "My new ward. Dinah, this is Rene Montoya, a good friend of my dad.""

Dinah smiled shyly. "Hi."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Rene shook her hand, "but come in. They are on the terrace."

"How is dad?" Barbara wheeled inside.

"Oh, he is having good time, and Helena?"

"Working, she had to work extra hours at the bar."

"She took many free days, eh?"

"Yes, you know her."

James Gordon watched his daughter appear at the door and he stood up immediately. His face always shone every time he saw his daughter. He gave her a hug and kissed her.

"My princess!!"

"Daddy! Happy birthday!"

"Thanks for coming."

"This is for you!" Barbara gave him a small box.

"You didn't need to do it," he , kissing her forehead, "you are my best present."

"Oh, Dad," the red head took Dinah's hand, "this is Dinah Lance, remember? I talked to you about her."

"Oh hi." He smiled to her. "Yes, you told me about her. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks. Congratulations, sir. It's a honor to meet you."

"Oh, thanks," Gordon said, "Barbara told me you are a very nice girl. Please come in. Where is Helena?"

"Working extra-hours at her job," Dinah said.

"Still working in that bar?"

"Yes," Barbara said.

"That is not a job for a girl." He shook his head.

"You know how she is dad." The red head smiled.

"Yes." He smiled back. It was not a good idea to try to start a discussion about that. He only wanted to enjoy his daughter's company.

"She sent you this." Barbara gave him a scotch bottle in a nice box.

"Mmm... my favorite. And it's a 1940 vintage scotch! This is great!" He couldn't avoid smile.

"She knew you would love it."

"I'll call her to thank her. Come on, the party is on."


	2. Dad's party

"Anyone ever told you that you are hot?" A drunk man put his drink down on the counter looking lasciviously at Helena Kyle, who, at that moment, wasn't in mood to tolerate nasty comments from a customer with an excess of alcohol in his veins.

She glared at him. "May I help you?" She didn't know what was worse, staying there serving assholes or being at Gordon's party. It was a hard choice.

"I want a refill." He smirked looking her up and down. "Maybe we can do it together. What do you think?"

"I think..." she leaned next to him, "that if you don't get out of here, you will have a very bad time."

"What's going on here?" Leonard asked.

"This guy is leaving," Helena said.

"I'm asking the pretty lady for a refill."

"Helena?" Leonard looked at her.

"All right." She reached behind the counter and put a fresh pitcher on the counter.

"Thanks so much, sweetheart." He tried to touch her hand, but Leonard took his hand.

"The cost of the beer doesn't include annoying my girls," he said. "Leave her alone or I'll kick your ass out of here."

"All right, all right, easy man..." the drunk man slurred, walking toward his table.

"Thanks, Leonard." Helena looked at Leonard.

"Now show your best smile and make my customers happy," the owner of the bar said.

She took a cloth and cleaned the counter with it. She looked at her watch, 12:30 am, and she still had to work one hour more. She hoped Dinah was having a good time. Maybe she was, she was sweet and quiet. Sweet and quiet... What a boring girl she thought to herself.

"Hey girl, please, give me a scotch," a man said, standing up at the counter.

"In a second," she said, turning toward the bar.

She hoped James Gordon didn't she missed the party on purpose, it had taken both a long time to have a relationship without fights and discussions. Maybe it would be good if she called him. She walked toward the back of the bar and stood up in front of the phone nervously for long seconds. Would it be a good idea to call him? After all, he was Barbara's father. Dammit. Why was he so difficult?

Whatever. She looked in her pocket for some change and pressed the buttons. After seconds, that seemed like long minutes, she heard a voice at the other side of the line.

::Hello?::

"Jim?"

::Yes?::

"Eh, well, it's me, Helena..." She played with the cord.

::Hey, how are you?":: He tried to be nice, knowing it was as difficult for her as for him to call.

"I'm fine, thanks..." she hated feeling so nervous, he was just Barbara's dad... well, maybe that was why she felt nervous, "Happy birthday, I'm sorry, I couldn't go... my boss gave me overtime today."

::Don't worry, Helena. She told me.::

"It's just... I don't want that you think that I didn't want to go." She sighed.

::Helena... I understand. Hey, your present was incredible. Where did you find it?::

"Working in a bar has its advantages," She smiled. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Helena, Leonard is looking for you," a waiter said, walking behind her.

"In a second. Listen, Jim, I need to go. Have a nice Birthday."

::All right, thanks so much again.::

"Bye." She hung up the phone, feeling a big weight lifted off her shoulders. She exhaled and walked toward the counter, her hands were sweating. She wiped them on her pants.

* * *

James was having a good time. He was at his bar and gave Dinah a coke. He was curious to meet his daughter's newest charge. He thought Barbara liked taking young people under her wing because she didn't know if she would have a family. Maybe it was like having a daughter than she would never have. Dinah was charming, very nice, very different from Helena, she was strange, not friendly, closed. He always had thought she only had used Barbara, she didn't have interest in anyone. Just herself.

Barbara was talking with Rene. Her gaze turned sometimes to watch her dad and Dinah. He seemed to like her. He laughed so much, and Dinah was smiling too. That was good. She couldn't deny she felt a bit afraid that maybe he wouldn't like her. She knew Dinah was different from Helena, but she couldn't avoid be worried about that. She smiled, she was happy that he liked her. Maybe some day, he would accept Helena for who she was.

"High School is always a big headache for any teen," James said, sipping his glass of scotch. "I hated it too."

"I can't believe that," Dinah mumbled in surprise.

"Yes, it's true."

"Hey, Gordon," one of his friends said, hugging Barbara, "may I take this beauty to my home?"

"Take your paws off her," He growled, feinging annoyance, "I'll be right back, Dinah."

She nodded. Smiling, she sat on the chair at the bar. All her fear about him had disappeared. She had imagined him in a very different way; grumpier, colder, harder. She felt a heavy weight had lifted off her shoulders. He was nice. She watched him pushing his partner and hugging Barbara with one arm. She was his baby. It was nice, nice to see an unknown side of her, being a daughter, a loved daughter by a lovely father.

* * *

The young woman sat on a cornice. She hugged her left leg with her arms, resting her chin on her knee, while she balanced her right leg playfully down. The wind played with her hair, moving it softly on her face; but didn't seem to bother her. She was distracted in her own thoughts.

After finishing her work at the bar, she went out. At two in the morning, she wasn't sleepy. Perhaps Barbara was still with her father or maybe not. She hoped Dinah had a good time, she was a nice girl with just one problem, she was a teen, and usually teens were so annoying. She felt a bit bad that she couldn't go with them, but it wasn't her fault this time.

Suddenly, she heard a kind of explosion, like a transformer exploding. The "buzz" of the electricity was unmistakable. She turned and stood up, looking around. The smell smoke arrived suddenly; she frowned. She hated that smell... roasted skin, but she was a crime fighter, she had chosen it.

She landed on the next building and went to the opposite side. The smell was strong. She stood up on the cornice and looked down. A man was lying on the ground.

Burned.

Yech.

She hated the burns. She jumped down: the vision of that poor man was nasty. It was the worst part of her job. Sometimes she asked herself why people were so violent. Maybe she would be unemployed without all that violence, but, it would be much better than facing situations like this one. She wrinkled her nose and covered it with her hand

He was dead, totally and completely dead. His skin was black, all burned. She kneeled and looked in his pocket. She took out a piece of a driver's license and kept it. She stood up looking for the source of the electricity.

The pager at her waist vibrated. She looked at it, it was a Delphi alert. She had taken it knowing that oracle was taking the night off and there might be trouble. It was Reese... there was a murder near the place where she was. mmm, that sounded good... after all, she could have a bit of fun that night. But before the fun, she needed to take some pictures of the place.

* * *

The young detective had his back resting on his car; he was examining the ring that Huntress had given to him a few months ago. It was nice and really sophisticated; he looked around, this time she had delayed more than usual. He looked at the pictures that he had taken of the man that the forensics team was examining a few meters from him.

Some police cars where nearby and they had closed off the area. That was the second murder this month. He rubbed his eyes, when he moved his hand back, Huntress was in fornt of him, smiling.

He jumped in his place. "Dammit," he growled.

"Hey, how are you?" He was funny. He always jumped, scared, every time she greeted him.

"Have you ever considered not doing that?"

"Reese, did you expect anything else?" Helena cocked her head, flirting with him. "You called me."

"You can't keep doing this all your life," Reese said crossing his arms.

"When have you seen a crime fighter that knocks on doors?" She grinned putting her hands inside her pockets. She knew that he liked her.

"True. Where where you? You are usually faster."

"I don't have a car, I walk." That was true. And parking would be a damn trouble, being a meta-vigilante.

"You walk?"

"Yes, being a crime-fighter doesn't pay enough money to buy a bike. I have to do extra-work to survive."

"You work?" Reese asked.

"I need to pay my rent." Huntress smirked. "And it's hard to find a bus at this hour." She looked at the police men and the forensics team working with the victim. "Second one."

"Second one?"

"I just discovered a body, fifteen blocks east." Huntress pointed back.

"Body?" He frowned.

"Some poor guy, electrocuted." She couldn't avoid watching him in silence a few seconds. Damn. He was very handsome. "I can't find the source of the electricity, but he was very dead."

::Huntress, everything okay?:: she heard Oracle's voice in her ear. It seemed she had come back from her dinner.

"Yes, how was your night?" She took her hand to her ear.

Reese looked at her with curiously. She was talking again to the "voice", her mysterious "associate".

::Fine, it was fun. Dad was really happy. He met Dinah and she had a great time too. We missed you.::

Huntres smirked. Sure, of course. "I'm glad for him and for you."

::I just arrived and noticed there was a Delphi alert that you took.:: Oracle said ::What's going on?::

"I'm with Reese... a murder. Let me check and I'll tell you. Investigate this name." She took the drivers license out of her pocket. It was inside a plastic bag. "John Michaels, 234 Street, Box 10034. I found him roasted like your beefs in the back of the glass factory fifteen minutes ago."

::I'll check it.::

Huntress gave Reese the plastic bag. "For you. It's from the guy that I found."

"Your 'invisible' friend." He raised his brow.

"Don't say 'invisible' friend as if I'm crazy. You have heard her too."

"Yes, but by phone, not in my head." Reese smiled. He was really happy to see her finally.

::Point for him.:: Oracle laughed.

"Don't start." Huntress growled.

"It's her, no?" the black detective asked.

"Forget it. Let's get back on topic. What do we have here?"

"A murder." Reese gave her the pictures. "I just prepared this for you."

"Want to see my dead guy?" Huntress asked.

"Sure."

She took a small camera from of her pocket and gave it to him, while she examined the pictures. She leaned on the car, next to him.

"Uhh... poor guy." Reese mumbled.

"Yours is not much better, this man doesn't have a face," Huntress mumbled, "What happened to him?"

"Someone hit him with something hard, maybe a hammer."

She shook her head and put the pictures inside her pocket. "Ideas?"

"No, nothing yet. Could you give me copy of your pictures?" He gave her the camera.

"Sure, I'll send to your email in a few."

"Mmmm... are you a cyber-girl?"

"No, that's Oracle. The boring part and making me crazy is her job." Huntres sighed.

* * *

"Boring job?" Oracle growled in the Clocktower "What does that mean?"

::Why are you always listening to my private conversations?::

"Maybe because we are working and you are flirting during work hours?" she explained, cleaning her eyeglasses.

"I'm not flirting.:: she whispered in the mic.

"Sure, sure." Oracle typed at her computer.

"He likes her." Dinah smiled.

"That will be big trouble." Oracle typed at the keyboard.

"For her?"

"No, for him." She grinned.

The blonde chuckled. "True."


	3. My family

"Mom!" Dinah woke up trembling and sweating. She immediately turned on her lamp. Breathing quickly, she looked around, scared. It had been a dream, the same one as on many nights. She watched the building collapse, and she was in front of it, with her feet glued to the floor, unable to move. She bent her knees and buried her face on them, covering her head with her hands. She needed to calm down, she was safe, she was at home. Well, maybe not hers, she didn't have a home, she had lost her mother.

The images of Barbara laughing with her father made her felt sad. She didn't know him. She didn't knew his name. Nothing about him. And she had lost her mother, first when she had left her at the Redmond's house, and later in that fire. She hadn't given

her the opportunity to make the decision of being with her or not. She had spent all those years afraid of her unknown ability, of her own power. Locked in a closet many nights because she could see and feel things that no one could explain. Knowing her "parents" were afraid of her, and knowing they saw her as a freak.

She tried to remember a nice moment in her life, but it was among shadows. There were only blurred memories; most of her chilhood was full of sad, frightening memories. She had forgotten what it felt like to be protected by her mother's arms.

She rubbed her arms, she felt cold, very cold. It was too cold for her. She felt tears in her eyes, the solitude she was feeling was painful. She didn't want to feel alone anymore and hugged herself standing up.

Barbara was cleaning her closet. She couldn't sleep, it was one of those nights when sleep just wouldn't come and instead of rolling on her mattress, she

decided to do something. She had chosen that night to check what was inside some old boxes in her closet.

She opened a box and looked inside, there were notebooks, clothes, albums of herself. She closed it and moved it to the side. There was another box and, as she picked it up, she noticed another box with "Helena" written in big letters on the back. She tried to move it, but it was a bit heavy. She moved out of her chair and pulled it out of the closet.

She opened it. She took out some old notebooks and albums with pictures. She found something she didn't expect. A familiar, old object made her smile. She took it between her hands and looked at it; her mind traveled back, many years ago. She didn't know how many minutes she stayed there, unmoving and caressing the small object, her mind lost in her thoughts.

The knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. "Yes?" She turned her

"It's me, Dinah, may I come in?" Dinah asked, knowing the redhead liked people to respect her privacy.

"Sure, come in." The redhead moved to face her.

Dinah's head appeared, she looked at the redhead with curiosity. "I thought you were sleeping."

"No, I couldn't," Barbara explained. "And you?"

"Oh… well…" She walked inside lowering her face, ashamed. Maybe it had been stupid to go there.

Barbara fixed her eyes on her night shirt. "Something is wrong? You are soaked."

"Well…"

"Nightmares?" The redhead understood immediately.

The blonde girl nodded. Barbara patted a place on the floor next to her. "Come here."

"I'm sorry, it's stupid." She sat in front of Barbara.

"It's okay, don't worry. All of us have nightmares. You are not the only one. It's part of our fears, and our memories."

"Sometimes I think I could have done more," Dinah said with sadness.

"Your mother?"

The girl nodded. Barbara cupped her cheek with her hand. "You are not guilty of anything. You did all you could in that moment. You know that, and thinking of what "could have been" is not going to bring back your mother, it's only hurting you. I know she wouldn't like it, she only wanted you to be happy. Don't hurt yourself. You are a great girl with a great heart."

Dinah sighed and her eyes fixed on the small black object that Barbara had in her lap. "What is that?"

"Uh?" Her mentor lowered her head and smiled, she took the small stuffed black cat between her hands and showed it to the teen, "Dinah, meet Jaçques. Jaçques, this is Dinah."

"Jacques?" Dinah frowned. She didn't know the woman that was computer genius liked stuffed cats.

"Yes, I just found him now, I was cleaning some boxes."

"Hi, Jaçques," Dinah laughed, "Who is he?"

Barbara couldn't avoid a big smile on her face and a nostalgic shine in her eyes. "He was the Helena's pet when she was a child, he was her inseparable friend, her partner."

Dinah could feel the emotion that Barbara was feeling in her words.

"If this cat could talk," the red head said, caressing it, "he would tell you marvelous things of a wonderful girl, a really wonderful girl." Tears filled her eyes. "A girl that lost all of her innocence and her illusions on one cold night, when destiny snatched her mother from her side." The older woman blinked and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Forget it." She was talking too much.

Dinah extended her hand to Barbara's. "Please…"

Barbara gave the black cat to her. Dinah brushed the messy hair of the kitten.

"He has lost a bit of hair," the red head said, "and needs some good laundry attention."

"Helena liked it?" the teen asked.

"Yes, she always slept with him."

"Why was he inside that box?"

"She grew up. She had him in her room. Months after the shooting, we sold almost everything. She packed some things in boxes. But this one, she never opened it again. When she moved, she told me she would come back for it, but every time I remind her of the box, she tells me 'later'. It makes me think she wants me to keep it here. But I have never opened it. It's a small piece of the home that she lost."

Dinah closed her eyes and smelled Jaçques' head. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled the redhead. "Thanks for sharing this with me."

"No

"Want me to put it in the box?"

Barbara took the cat. "No, I guess I want sleep with him tonight and, tomorrow, send him to the laundry."

"Barbara…" the teen started, ashamed, "May I… well…"

"Yes?"

Dinah suddenly moved toward her and hugged her. The red head, surprised, hugged her back.

"Hey Dinah… what's wrong?" she asked with a soft voice, rubbing her back.

"I just wanted to hug you."

"Sure, any time… what happened, Dinah?"

"I… I saw you so happy with your father and…" she sobbed, "I never had a mother, I never had a family… I don't know what it feels like to have a family. I don't have anyone."

"I know it's not the same, but you have u,s Dinah." The red head smiled. She knew that the girl felt alone; she wanted to feel loved. Helena was a girl that had a lot of love to give, and that needed to feel loved. Knowing Dinah's sad past, she knew she didn't know the warmth, the comfort that a mother would give.

"Thanks for accepting me."

"Anytime." Barbara kept hugging her in silence; Helena had been a happy child, she had lost her mother; but she had the opportunity to feel loved and to give love. Dinah had missed all that. And her sadness and pain had made her insecure, shy. A very strong contrast from the brunette, who, in a moment, had turned into a very violent, angry, and self destructive person.

"Dinah, why don't you sleep in here?" the red head asked softly.

"Really?" the teen moved back.

"I'd love it,

just let me pick this up and then we'll go to sleep."

"May I help you?."

"Sure. This is a disaster."

Dinah kneeled at the floor. She picked up a old notebook. "Is this Helena's too?"

"Yes, she liked to draw."

Dinah noticed an old package of cards. "And this?"

Barbara laughed covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my! She kept them!"

"What?"

"She loved to trick us with her cards." Barbara took the cards and dealt them. "Selina taught her how to cheat in poker games and, if you didn't know it, she would steal all your money."

"She tricked you?"

"Just once. But she tried to do the same one day to Alfred. He was smart and he turned the tables. She lost all her allowance that night."

Dinah laughed. "She was pissed."

"No, disconcerted, she didn't expect that. Alfred, of course, gave back the money to Selina, and Selina gave her a good punishment. She had forbidden her to do that."

"That's funny."

"Not for her." Barbara finished dealing the cards. She looked at the blonde girl and grinned, "Want to play?"

"No cheating?"

"No."

"Okay…" Dinah smiled.

Barbara began to give her the cards.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The following day, Barbara was in a chinese restaurant with Dinah. The red head thought that it would be a good idea to go out to eat that Sunday. They spent so much time closed up in the Clocktower and Dinah was just a teen. The hard thing had been waking up Helena at midday. She usually slept until late afternoon on Sundays. The place was decorated all in red, making it look like one was really in China. They were looking at the menu. Dinah was a bit confused with so many strange words. She tried to figure out what exactly was in each

plate, unsuccessfully.

"Barbara… I don't know what to order."

"There are many delicious things here."

"Hi everybody," Helena greeted, appearing suddenly. She sat next to Dinah.

"Hi." Dinah smiled.

"Hi." Barbara grinned.

Helena rolled her eyes and crossed her hands on the table. "Not funny."

"Not my fault you flirt when you are working," the red head said, looking again to the menu.

"I wasn't flirting," Helena protested. She didn't like talking about herself with everybody.

"You were flirting."

"No! We are different."

"He is handsome." Green eyes shone, looking at her. She knew her too well, maybe more than Helena would want.

"He just follows rules." The brunette tried to protect herself from her mentor's attack. She avoided her gaze.

"And you love breaking them." The redhead grinned.

"Forget it."

The waiter arrived.

Helena looked at him. "I want chinese dumpling soup, steamed shrimp dumplings, chop suey, and chaw fan."

"Are you going to eat all that?" Dinah opened her eyes.

"Yes, but don't worry," Barbara said, "I asked for separate checks."

"Ha,ha," Helena grumbled.

"Duck for me is okay," Barbara closed the menu, "And, for her, some Bow Thai Pasta with Shrimp**."**

"What is that?" Dinah asked.

"You will love it."

The waiter moved back.

"How was dinner?" Helena asked, taking a piece of chinese pasta with sauce that was in the middle of the table and putting it inside her mouth.

"Oh wonderful! Barbara's father is charming," Dinah said excitedly. Helena raised her brows surprised. "He talked with me, and he is great. He talked about many topics, he's smart and funny."

"Oh." The brunette nodded.

"The dinner was excellent," Barbara added, "In the fridge is a big piece of cake that I brought for you."

Helena's eyes lit up. "Cake?"

"Dad sent it to you. He knows you love cake. He is not as grumpy as you think."

"I don't think he is grumpy… well... just a bit." She smirked.

Barbara sighed, Helena would never change.

"Okay, I'll call him to thank him."

"Yes, you better do it," Barbara brushed her hair.

"Come on, Barbara, I'm not so evil."

"You and he are so damn stubborn. You two give me big

"Your life would be boring without us."

Dinah laughed.

"Have any news about the murders?" Helena asked.

"The three guys found, including the one that you found dead, were meta," Barbara explained.

"What?" Dinah blinked.

"The first one that the police found had the ability to transform his body into glass. He died, according to forensics, by a wound made by a glass; the second guy, yours, had the ability to manage electricity, he died by electrocution; the third guy, some one hit him to death with a hammer. Guess what his ability was?"

"Dammit." The brunette growled, leaning back into her chair.

"Can't be a coincidence," Dinah pointed out.

"I know." Helena sighed. "Ideas?"

"The first one that came to my mind I sent to the trash," Barbara said.

"Why?

"Claude Morton, Reese's ex-partner. He is dead."

"True. So this means another crazy is stalking the streets?"

"I don't have a clue. We need to find one." The red head shook her head. "Did Reese tell you anything?"

"He is lost."

"We need to warn people," Dinah interrupted, "Not to panic anyone, but so they avoid deserted places or walking alone at night."

"Yes, we can do that," the red head said.

"Okay, so after here I can go to see Gibson," Helena said.

"May I go?" Dinah asked.

Helena did a face and raised her brow. "You know you can't, you are seventeen."

"I can go if I don't drink. We are not going to drink, we are going to work."

"Better come with me, Dinah." Barbara smiled. "I feel better when you are not with her."

Helena glared at the redhead. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are terrible and sure not good company."

Helena cocked her head with a confused face. "Are you joking?"

Barbara laughed. The waiter put their plates on the table. Dinah looked in amazement at the size of it, while Helena licked her lips.

"The service is fast," the teen mumbled.

"They have it all ready in the buffet kid," the brunette said. "It's Sunday."

"How can you eat all that?"

"I'm growing."

"You have two stomachs." Barbara smiled.

"I do not!"

"Looks like it." Dinah joked. It was nice having them as part of her life. Yes, they were so much better than her 'family'. And it was the most wonderful gift life had given her so far.


	4. Fears

Gibson Kafka liked his life. He had the best job in the city and the best bar in the city, of course, it was because of him. He had worked hard for it, and was proud of his place. He cleaned some glasses at his bar with a cloth. He was preparing the stock to open at five o'clock. He put a glass on the counter and took another one.

He smiled suddenly. "My delectable little peach pit, are you here because your heart couldn't stop beating, thinking of me?" he asked smiling.

"Cold."

Gibson turned and saw Helena smiling at him with her arms crossed. She looked so beautiful with that incredible white blouse and brown pants. "You are delicious, a taste for any

"Gibson." She raised her brow.

"So if you are here, the mysterious and evocative Huntress has chosen once again to grace me with her presence to ask me something."

"Warm," she said, sitting at the bar.

He took a bottle and another glass. "It would be a pleasure serve to my lovely and always missed Huntress."

"You have heard about the murders, I'm sure."

"Yes, meta humans too." He gave her a glass. "Vodka rocks."

"Thanks."

"And have you heard about the missing metas?" Gibson crossed his arms over the counter.

"What missing metas?" Helena frowned.

"Five people."

"Too many people in too short a time." That was weird and she didn't like it. Why didn't Barbara know that? "How do you know that?"

"Just rumors, nothing confirmed. I heard it. But, curiously, two of the names of people missing turned up later, dead. Those are the metas that you know about."

Helena moved uncomfortably on the chair. She hated that. "Give me the names, I'll give them to Oracle."

A few minutes later, she walked outside the bar. She wasn't in a very good mood. The frustration of not being able to stop the murders was something that had her bad mood in high levels. Maybe the names would be useful to the redhead. She arrived at the Clocktower, the place seemed to be empty.

"Hi everybody!" she said, looking around; Delphi was humming, the kitchen and living room were empty. Just some lights on. No, definitely her friends weren't there. She walked back to the elevator and moved down toward the rooms.

"Hellooo!" she called out as soon as the door opened. But silence was her only answer, "Is today a super-hero vacation day?"

"I'm here!" Dinah shouted.

Helena went to Dinah's room and walked inside. The teen was looking at herself in the mirror. She was dressing to go to the movies with her friend Gabby.

"Where is Barbara?" Helena asked.

"She went to the book shop. How do I look?" the teen asked.

Helena glared at her and raised an eyebrow. "That is my

"Helena, don't tell me that, it has been inside Barbara's closet for over three moths!" Dinah said, turning to look at her.

"It's still my jacket." The brunette smirked, she liked to annoy her. Maybe it was a good moment to have a bit of fun.

"Please." Dinah pleaded.

"Do you know what happens to people that take my things without permission?" Helena went to her slowly, her predatory side intimidated anyone and Dinah stepped back instinctively.

"You don't scare me," Dinah mumbled.

"No?"

"You are just a grumpy kitten!"

"What?" Helena grumbled.

"Grumpy! Grumpy cat!" Dinah smirked.

"I'm not grumpy!" Helena tried to grab her, but Dinah ducked laughing.

"You are!" The teen rolled to the other side of the bed.

"You are dead!" The brunette jumped at her. Dinah jumped back and, stumbling, she fell inside the closet. Helena moved faster and closed the door. "I got you!"

"No wait!" The darkness surrounded the blonde. It was like cold water on her back, her heart beat faster; something was wrong.

Fear.

Fear invaded her and she couldn't stop it. She closed her eyes. They were just playing.

But the fear was there, enveloping her, filling her senses. Her heart beat faster. She moved her hands to the door and tried to open it unsuccessfully. "Helena, open the door!" she pulled the knob. "Helena, open it!"

"You will be there for three days!" Helena giggled, moving her back against the door. Dinah was pushing hard.

Dinah hit the wood door with her palm desperately. The fear turned to panic.

"Three days." Helena laughed.

"Let me out!" the blonde yelled, frightened, and pushed the door with her shoulder.

"Ask me nicely."

A cold sweat ran over Dinah's face. She rested her head on the door and closed her eyes, her body shivering. "Please…" she mumbled talking like a child, "I'll be good, please let me out, I'm scared..:"

"_Please let me out!" an eight year old Dinah cried, locked inside a small_

_"You will stay there until you promise stop seeing those damn things!" she heard Mrs. Redmond's voice outside._

_"I'm sorry, I can't help it, mom." She slipped down the door, crying._

_"Why do you scare us with your dreams?"_

_"Sorry, mom, I'm sorry, please let me out."_

_"We talked about this. Whatever you think you see, it's all in your imagination. None of it's real. Are you listening to me, Dinah?"the voice of her mother was hard, cold, uncaring._

_"But I see things mom, it's not my fault… I'm sorry mom."_

_"You didn't see anything, did you? I'm tired of this!" the old woman shouted._

_Dinah heard her steps walking out of the room and a second later closing the door; now she was alone. The terror invaded her._

_"Mom!" she sobbed, hitting the door "Please let me out!! I promise everything you want! Don't leave me here again! Mom!" She felt panic, and took the knob between her hands, trying desperately to open it._

"Mom?" Helena heard Dinah's yell and furrowed her brow, that was not her voice. She turned to open the door and before she could open it, the wood exploded, pushing her back with incredible force; thousands of wood pieces and clothes flew in every direction and the brunette hit the wall hard, falling against the chest of drawers, breaking it. Everything went black.

Barbara wheeled inside her apartment. She put some plastic bags on the couch in the living room. She heard the explosion, she wheeled as fast as she could toward Dinah's room. She stopped in the door frame and looked at the mess in shock. The door of the closet had disappeared and pieces of wood covered the place, as did many clothes. The box spring had turned and fallen to the other side of the

"What the…?" she mumbled when she heard Dinah's cry. "Dinah!" She turned her head and saw the blonde curled up inside the closet. She removed some wood pieces off the floor to wheeled toward her. "Dinah, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, mom, I'll be good," the teen mumbled, with child's voice holding herself.

Barbara looked at her with concern. "Dinah?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the teen said quietly.

"Miss Barbara, is everything okay?" Alfred appeared at the door.

"I don't know what happened, Alfred." She bent down and put her hands on the floor, moving out of her chair. She dragged herself to Dinah, she tried to touch her, but the girl moved back.

"Don't hurt me, mom," the blonde sobbed with child's voice again.

Barbara frowned in confusion.

Alfred moved walked and heard a noise to the side of the bed, he walked toward there and saw a black boot of the brunette's under the box spring. "Miss Helena!" He took the box spring and pushed it to a side.

"Helena? Is she okay?" Barbara raised her head worried, she wanted go there to see what was happening, but Dinah was crying uncontrollably.

"I don't know. Are you all right, Miss Helena?" Alfred removed some of the pieces of wood and clothes that covered her. The girl opened her eyes, but seemed to be stunned; he clapped her cheecks. "Miss Helena, are you okay?"

"Mmm?" the brunette moaned.

"Check her, I'll be there in a minute." Barbara tried to get her younger protégé back to reality. "Dinah, it's me, you're home. It's okay."

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Dinah, I'm Barbara." She rubbed her back softly, she was trembling. "You are home, look at me."

"Don't lock me…."

"Dinah, you are not locked up." She took her chin and turned the blonde's face towards her. "Look, you are in your room."

The blonde blinked. Still frightened, she noticed she was in another place.

"Dinah, I'm Barbara:"

The blue eyes of the girl locked on her a few seconds. Barbara read the fear in them.

"Barbara?" she whispered.

"Yes, I'm Barbara." The red head wiped a tear and tucked some stray hair behind the girl's ear.

Dinah hugged her strongly and cried.

"Everything is okay, don't worry, Dinah, everything is okay," she soothed gently.

"Miss Helena?" Alfred clapped Helena's cheeks. She didn't seem have any serious injuries.

The brunette blinked. What the hell had happened? Who had knocked her out? Alfred's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Miss Helena."

"What happened?" she mumbled.

"That's the same question I was going to ask to you." He turned to look at Barbara "She is okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Shit…" Helena growled, rubbing her head and sitting slowly.

"It's hard try to kill a cat with many lives as Miss Helena," Alfred said.

"Not funny, Alfred." The brunette shook her head. That blow really had knocked her out.

Barbara moved her hand to brush the teens hair; she finally had controlled her crying. "Dinah, what happened?? What was it?"

The teen remebered the fear, the cold and… she had made the door explode. Yes, she had done it. "I'm sorry!" Dinah said, burying her face in her guardian's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Barbara turned to look at Helena, hoping for more information. "What happened, Helena?"

"I don't know… we were playing and suddenly something exploded."

"Was it a bomb?" Alfred asked, concerned.

"I don't know. I didn't hear anything." Helena stood up with the loyal old butler's help.

"It's all my fault," Dinah sobbed.

"Why?" the red head asked softly, "What happened?"

"I could have killed her." Dinah said with tears in her eyes. "I could kill everyone." She tried to stand up, but Barbara's firm grip held her down.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?"

"Let me go…" the blonde sobbed, "You don't understand."

Barbara took her face between her hands and fixed her eyes on her. "Look at me."

The teen refused to do it, ashamed.

"Dinah, look at me, please."

The girl raised her eyes slowly. "Help me to understand, Dinah. What happened?"

"I… I almost killed her."

"You were playing, why did you almost kill her?"

"She locked me inside the closet." Dinah hugged herself and lowered her eyes. Her body trembled, Barbara felt it; her hand touching the teen's shoulder. "It was dark… and I, I remembered," Dinah bit her lower lip, "I remembered when she did that to me."

The redhead understood and hugged her feeling her body trembling in her arms "Oh God… Dinah…"

"I remebered the cold, the fear… was too much," Dinah cried. "The nights she left me locked there."

Helena and Alfred looked at her stunned. The brunette felt guilty, she didn't mean to hurt the blonde.

"I felt scared, so scared, I just wanted get out." Dinah buried her head on her mentor's shoulder.

"You made the closet door explode," Barbara mumbled.

The teen nodded crying. "I didn't want to hurt her."

"I'm okay, Dinah," Helena walked to her, crouching down, "it's not your fault, it's mine, I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry."

"Dinah, that is the reason that you are trying to learn to control your powers," The adopted daughter of commisioner Gordon said softly, brushing the blonde's hair, "These things happen; don't worry."

"But I could have killed her, or could kill anyone."

"I told you once, if you really, really wanted someone dead... they'd be."

"Don't worry, Dinah, it was my fault." Helena said, still kneeling next to her and touching her hand; she felt an electric shock; a light blinded her. Emotions flooded her body. She released her immediately and caught her breath..that had been a weird experience. But Dinah hadn't seemed to notice it.

"I think that you need to rest," Barbara told the blonde gently. "Let's go to my room." The blonde just nodded. The redhead turned to see Alfred and Helena. "We'll be right back."

They understood she needed to be alone.

Helena helped Alfred to clean the room; he went to look for some plastic bags and she sat on the mattress. After Dinah touched her, she felt strange; it was like the blonde had pulled out all of her emotions. She was confused. Maybe Dinah was so sensible in that moment that she had "passed" them to her. She rubbed her palm against her forehead. It was a weird feeling.

Barbara wheeled inside. She looked the disaster inside the room; she hadn't checked it before. "My God, her mind power is amazing."

"And you didn't feel it," the brunette said, raising her brow. "You need to buy a new closet door. How is she?"

"She is really scared. Her chilhood was terrible, if she did this just remembering; I guess that being locked inside the closet brought to her mind memories of her past. I can't imagine all the horrible things those people did to her. I gave her some pills to help her sleep."

"I didn't want…"

"I know," Barbara smiled at her "Don't worry. We couldn't have known."

Helena looked at her wrist. "I touched her and it was weird."

"Weird?"

"I felt many emotions flowing in me and after that I'm feeling a bit strange."

"Strange?"

"It's, well, it's like if I had all of my feelings around me… well, I know I always have them, but…"

"Always inside."

"Yes… and it was like I couldn't control them."

"Maybe you are just feeling what she felt," Barbara explained.

"It's confusing any way you look at it."

"Want me to check you?"

"No, no, I'll be okay." Helena remembered, suddenly, the names that Gibson had given to her. "Oh, this is for you."

"Oh, what is this?"

"Gibson said that many metas have been dissapearing, he gave me his names, he thinks there may be a connection between them and the murders."

The pager on Barbara's waist vibrated. She took it and read. "Problems, let's go to the Delphi."

They moved upstairs. Barbara typed at her keyboard. "Looks like a kidnapping. Fifth and Kane."

"A few blocks from here," Helena leaned over the screen, "Would be our man."

"Be careful."

"Do you always need to say that?" The brunette went toward the elevator.

"Will you someday be careful?"

"All right, all right…"


	5. It’s hard face the past

A man slapped a woman causing her fall to the floor. He was a tall black man, with big muscles. He was really annoyed; he took her her from behind and shook her. "Now you come with me!" he dragged her toward his car, her sobbing child was pulling her back.

"Let my mom go!" the kid cried. The big man pushed him back with his feet making her fall.

"No!" the woman shouted sensing the man would seriously hurt her seven year old daughter.

"You are my woman, you come with me!"

"I'm not your woman!"

The man hit the woman and tried to punch her again when the child grabbed his hand and bit it. The man yelled and slapped the kid. The child rolled over the floor.

"You are dead, stupid!" he growled raising his hand to hit the kid again but a hand stopped his fist. He looked at a young woman standing next to him. She was smaller than him, who the hell was she?

"Don't touch him. It'll be your worst mistake." Huntress

"You've just made yours." He tried to hit her but she ducked and smashed her knee against his gut. He bent over and she punched his face making him fall backwards. He stood up immediately but in a few seconds he was on the floor again.

::What's going on Huntress?::

"Nothing," the brunette answered preparing to attack again "Just a typical asshole that loves to hit women and children."

The man cleaned his lip. Suddenly, he moved his hand back and immediately forth, to her surprise she felt something curling around her throat that pulled her down. She hit the ground roughly. She moved her fingers between the rope and her throat trying to free her self. A second later he was over her. He seemed to be a meta-human with the ability to turn his hands in ropes or something like that.

"Big mistake girl." He grinned.

"Yes…" she gasped "big mistake." She smashed her head against him and he released her. She stood and hit with a fury of blows and kicks.

He felt as if he were in the middle of a storm. Desperately, he tried to find an escape. The small child was crying on the floor, with her mother hugging her. He extended his arm and it transformed in a rope, it wrapped around the child's waist. Huntress noticed the movement and turned her face, enough to let him push her back with his feet.

He wrapped his other hand around the girl's neck. "Let me go or I'll kill her!" he shouted. The girl began to cry.

She felt her blood burn. Fist in balls. Her eyes changed in two cat slits. She fixed her pupils on his. Only a coward would use a child to protect himself in that way. She hated that. "Let the kid go."

::Huntress, what is happening?:: Oracle asked.

"This son of bitch is using a child as a shield." She mumbled trying to control her anger.

"Go away!" he shouted again.

"I'll go," Huntress growled really annoyed "but watch your back, for now I'm your worst nightmare." She jumped toward the next building and disappeared.

"Damn bitch." He mumbled watching her go; he looked at scared the woman "You must come with me willingly or I'll kill her!"

"Please, let my child go."

"You come with me!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you, I've just seen you a few times."

The man pressed his hand on the child's throat and she began to gasp trying to breath.

"Now you will see your daughter die… this would teach you."

"No, I'll go! But please let her go!" the woman yelled desperately.

"No… you need to learn," He squeezed the child's neck harder.

This time there was a hard blow to the back of his head that make him release the child and fall to his knees. Huntress rolled on the air and fell on her feet, crouching infront of him.. She didn't give him time to react; immediately she took him by his lapel and threw him against the wall. She was blinded by anger. Her knuckles were buried deep in his face. She hated him. They used their strength usually against weak people, they never used it for good, to help the city improve; and she hated people like him. Her mind just could saw images about how unfair life was usually. Why do things need to be that way?

::Huntress!:: a shout in her ear made her stop. She blinked. ::Huntress stop!:: she heard the voice again, in front of her was the black man, his face all bloody, her left hand grabbing him by his jacket, her right fist ready to hit him again, he fell to the floor and she kneeled over him.

::Huntress answer me! You are killing him!:: Oracle yelled.

The young woman stood up slowly and moved back, her breathing rapid. She could still feel the anger running through her veins. Her hair was unruly, her forehead covered in

::Huntress, please answer me.::

The bruntte reaised her left hand to clean the sweat on her face and noticed her nuckles were bloody, she raised her other hand, it was bloody too. "Dammit." she mumbled.

::Huntress.::

The man tried to understand what had just happened. She was like a demon, her strength was not normal, and she was faster, alot faster. He raised his face, he barely could see. She had closed one of his eyes with a hard blow to it. He could taste the blood on his lips and felt it over his face; he was sure she had broken his nose. Scared, he looked her shadow walking toward him, he crawled back trembling. Deep blue eyes were fixed on him. He could see in them cold hate, anger… dead. He covered his face with his hands.

"Please no…" he mumbled.

"Touch any woman or a child again, and you are dead." Her words almost a prophecy than a sentence. "I'll look for you under stones."

He felt her words would cut him in half and just nodded.

::Huntress, please.::

"He is lucky Barbara," she said finally to her mentor, "don't worry, call the police, or better, an ambulance." She heard sobs behind her, she turned around. The child was hugging her mother. They were safe, the girl was okay. She was not hurt.

"Is she okay?" Huntress asked in low voice.

"Yes, yes," the woman sobbed, that Huntress scared her, she looked dark; she didn't know who she was, how could she defeat him, but she had saved her life, "thanks."

"And you?"

The woman nodded. She was lucky, she was there to save them. She wished she had have someone near her to help the night her mother was stabbed. But she was alone. The images of that night crossed in her mind. She felt it as if it had been yesterday.

"Go. Go now," the brunette licked her lips "take her far from here." It was not good to have the child at a violent crime scene. "Tomorrow go to the police and present a lawsuit against this asshole."

The woman picked up the crying child and ran down the street.

::What the hell is happening with you?:: Oracle shouted ::The man was shouting for you to stop, he surrendered and you kept hitting him!::

"He is an asshole, just an asshole." Huntress said taking a piece of paper from the floor to clean her hands. Her mother's pale face was in front of her. She didn't move, she was smiling and a second later she was unmoving. Her heart stopped.

::I'm talking about you.::

"He was going to kill the kid." Her mouth felt so dry, like that night. The night was so cold, like that night. She rubbed her hands furiously against the paper.

::You can't do that!::

"I can't do what?" Huntress yelled annoyed stopping in the middle of the street, "That son of a bitch was going to kill the girl! What do you expect I do?"

::You need to control your strength!:: Barbara said annoyed ::He was asking you to stop and you didn't hear me when I called you.::

"I know what I'm doing! I stopped that asshole! That's enough for me."

::No is not enough.::

"It is enough!" Huntress shouted "Why were you worried for him? He is alive! I could have done with someone's help the night…." She cut her words and bit her lips.

::Helping you?:: Oracles asked, stunned.

"Forget it." She threw the paper to a container feeling tears covering her eyes.

::Helping you when? When your mother?::

"Huntress out." She cut the comm. She walked toward the bar, she needed a drink.

---------------------

Barbara rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. Helena was definitely not all right. Something was happening to her. Sometimes it was hard to deal with all the ghosts of the past. She looked at her watch; it was late.

"Alfred!" she said turning back.

"Yes ma'am?" Asked the butler upstairs who was preparing to leave.

"Im sorry but, would you please stay? I have problems, Helena is not okay and I don't want to leave Dinah alone."

"Sure, don't worry."

Barbara looked him in silence.

"Something wrong miss Barbara?"

She exhaled, "Nothing, just… is difficult help people that you love."

"And most of the time it's when they keep themselves closed."

"Yea, that's right." She wheeled toward the elevator, "I be right back as soon as possible."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Sure…"

---------------------

One of the advantages of working at a bar was that she had access to all the beverages anytime, day and night. She was sat over a bench next to the counter, with a scotch bottle open next to her. Her eyes lost. She put some peanuts in her mouth and immediately sipped from the glass. In a few seconds it was empty, she filled it again.

Every morning she woke up with thoughts about how her life would be if they hadn't gone out that night. If, someone… if, if, if, the "if's" didn't count. It was stupid. She took another sip of scotch. The past had gone. Her past had gone; her life had

Her father had gone, leaving her and Barbara alone. He didn't fight anymore. When he knew the truth he just left; he couldn't handle the pain. A pain that she alone needed to face, a pain that Barbara had helped her to face. She at least had her father, Helena had no one, just her. She would be lost without her, she knew it. She swallowed the contents of the glass and filled it again.

Helena covered her face with her left hand, she felt the damn alcohol running inside her veins, everything was soft, her mind was numb, but not enough, not enough. She looked at the glass between her fingers.

"Does it really help?" a familiar voice echoed behind her. She closed her eyes, what the hell was she doing here? She didn't have time for this. She listened to the sound of the electric chair wheeling toward her. She took the glass and emptied it, immediately she filled it again.

Barbara stoped to her right hand. She didn't turn to look at her. She knew what she would find in her gaze, sadness, anger, reproach, questions, questions that she didn't want to answer.

"What dddo you wwwant?" had that been her? Damn it, maybe she was more drunk than she had thought. Her voice sounded like a grumble.

"Does this help you Helena?" Barbara asked concerned, trying to find her eyes.

"Leave me alone." The brunette mumbled rubbing her temples.

"I've never left you alone Why I must leave alone now?"

The young woman took a deep breath and exhaled. She slowly moved back and faced her mentor. Her mind was a blur. Yes, she had drunk so much, but not enough yet. She took the scotch bottle and poured the liquid inside the glass. "Not now Barbara. Want a

"Please Helena."

She moved the glass towards her lips when suddenly the glass crashed and the liquid spilled everywhere. She stood up immediately. "What the…?"

"I'm talking to you." The red head said defiant, she had taken out her batons and had smashed the glass with a quick movement.

Helena's eye's turned feral. "Don't piss me off."

"So don't fuck me. This doesn't help you and you know it."

Barbara never used those words. Helena glared at her. Fist in balls; she couldn't raise a hand against her. Maybe she was the only person in all the damn world she never could raise a hand to. And she knew it, but it was not good she teased her limits.

"Tell me what's going on? Why did you almost kill him! I saw the police report!"

"I could never understand why you feel so worry for those assholes." The girl went toward a table and sat in a chair. Why couldn't Barbara just didn't go?

"We don't kill."

"That crap again…" Helena mumbled covering her face with her hands putting her elbows on the table.

"It's not a crap!" Barbara wheeled toward her, "Helena look at me!"

The brunette didn't answer, she moved just her hands through her hair. She was too drunk. Her mind felt foggy.

The red head crossed her arms over the table and fixed her green eyes on her. Something happened that made her react that way. Suddenly she understood, Dinah had touched her, Helena had told her she felt strange. In some way Dinah had uncovered her hidden emotions and in the fight she had seen something that brought the sad memories of her mother out.

"What happened there?" Barbara asked in soft voice, "Please, tell me. Let me in."

Helena moved her hands down. "I'm not okay right now." She had struggled to talk.

"I know." Barbara took her hand and pressed her fingers. "Nobody helped you when your mother was murdered? That girl and her mother reminded of that night, right?"

Helena moved back as if she'd been shocked. She stood up but Barbara grabbed her hand hard, she knew she had touched the source of her pain.

"Don't go, please, you weren't the only one that got hurt that night. I was too."

The young crime fighter bit her lips trying to not cry, she hated crying and more in front of people and avoided those green eyes that buried themselves so easily into her soul.

"I was hurt too, remember? Look me please." Barbara said.

The brunette closed her eyes, a tear fall from her eyes. "Shit."

"Please look at me."

Slowly she raised her pupils to her mentor; Barbara noticed she looked like a scared child.

"It hurts, I know, it hurts me still, it will always hurt, but hiding those feelings, drowning them in a bottle can't help to make that pain go away."

"I'm tired," Helena mumbled lowering her head, "good night:" she slowly pulled her hand.

The fingers of Barbara slipped slowly. The brunette stumbled toward the stairs.

"Tell me something before you go."

"What?" the girl put her foot over the first step. She didn't turn her head.

"If you had killed that man, would it make you feel any

Helena kept still.

"Would it have helped to diminish the pain?"

"I'm drunk Barbara."

The red head wheeled toward her "Would killing help you forget your mother? To forget how much you miss her? Would it help to make you forget how much she loved you?"

Helena didn't answer, she began to walk upstairs.

"It hurts me to me too Helena," The red head said with sadness, "It hurts so much." She kept her eyes on Helena until she closed the door. She couldn't avoid the tears that fell from her eyes. She turned her wheelchair and wheeled toward the exit.


	6. He's back

Sometimes she asked to her self how many she had changed after the accident. She looked to her past and found many of her temper in Helena, Alfred had told her that so many times. Maybe for that reason she felt so identify with her. She rested her back on her wheelchair looking the screeen, but her mind was lost in her thoughts.

"You couldn't help her yesterday." Alfred said walking outside the

Barbara just looked him. "How do you know it?"

"It's easy read your feelings in your expression."

Barbara sighed and nodded. "I can't if she don't let me in. Dinah removed her feelings, but she… she just kept them again inside of her. Hidding it."

"She is not easy."

"She never had been easy. I thought that her fight last night brought to her memories of that night. Is something that she can't jump yet. The fact to don't know who was and is something that had been circlingher mind all this years."

"Maybe some day she will endure it." Alfred said.

"I hope." She moved again to her keyboard. Now as she uses to do, she is going to be far from here until her hangover had gone."

"A couple of days."

"Yes, she is going to patrol the city and later appear as if anything had happened."

"Wayne style." Alfred raised his brown.

"True, Bruce was like her in that way. He never opened his self." She began to type, "We can't do anything, just wait and work. Alfred, may I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"I let at the laundry in the next corner something, could you pick it up please?" she took off a paper and gave it to him. "Is paid."

He took the note and read it. "A stuff cat?"

"I found Jaçques in an old box. He needed a bath." Barbara explained.

"Master Jaçques?" Alfred opened his eyes surprised.

"I see you remember well." The red head smiled.

"Who could forget him?. Would be a pleasure see him again."

"Thanks."

Alfred walked toward the elevator and exited. Barbara tied her hair in a pony tail carefully, when she finished she took her eyeglasses on the desk and put it over her face. She needed work in the names that Helena had gave to her after talk with Gibson. She just had come back from her work at High Scholl; she moved the wheelchair in front of the monitor that was next to her.

"Hi Barbara." Dinah said appearing at the elevator.

"Oh, hi, you leaved early."

"I have an exam." The blonde looked her ashamed, "I want apologize."

"No Dinah, don't worry." Barbara touched gently her hand, "all of us had our moments."

Dinah hugged her self nervous. "I promise pay for the…"

"Don't worry I said, everything is okay, really."

The blonde hugged her. "Thanks so much:"

Barbara hugged her back. "It's okay."

Dinah moved back. "How I could do that door explote? I wasn't thinking on that, I was thinking in…"

"You have a great power inside that you are yet discovering." The redhead fixed her eyes on her takingg her hands. "Sometimes unknown powers appears in unexpected moments, when you are under pressure or when you feel fear, like yesterday."

"Im feel so stupid." The blonde

Barbara smiled warmly and pressed her hand with hers, "You aren't, believe me, you aren't."

"Helena is okay?"

"I hope she is now." Barbara took off her eyeglasses.

"Why? I hurted her?" Dinah sat next to her metor.

"Nightmares." Barbara smiled saddly "See? Not just you have nightmares. She has too."

"Nightmares?"

Barbara looked her, she didn't want tell her that her touch had removed Helena's emotions out, "sometimes you don't need sleep to face your nightmares. Many times it follows you to everyplace you go. She apparently is strong, reude and cold, but she is just a shield to hide her feelings. Just don't ask her nothing when you see her."

"Is not my fault?"

"No, it wasn't your fault. Hurts her remember how her mother died, that's all."

"Where is she now?" Dinah askked worried.

Barbara looked her watch, "Sleeping I think, she had drink alcohol to send a rocket from here to the the moon."

"Oh Barbara."

"She will be okay, is not the first time she does this; you know her. Don't worry. How do you feel?"

"Fine, thanks. Much better."

"Why don't go to change and help me to do a research here?"

"O sure…" Dinah smiled happily and went toward her room.

-----------------------

They worked all the day with the names, it was true, they were persons missed. When the night was falling over the city, the sound of the elevator's door echoed in the place. Barbara raised her head. She felt surprised to see Helena walking in. She never appeared so fast after an emotional crisis. But she knew the best was not ask.

Helena knew that the serial killer was free, and that she couldn't stop to look for him just for the bad feelings than bought to her her memories. She had been walking around Clocktower before to take the decition to walk in. She didn't want face Barbara or answer questions. She just hoped the redhead avoid do it.

"Hi." Barbara greeted, "I was checking your names. Gibson was right."

Helena felt thankful that Barbara didn't start the questions session. Had been a bad night. She walked inside the laboratory. "What did you find?"

"All those people is miss as Gibson said. All meta-humans."

"Another lunatic as Morton?"

"Yes."

"Where is Dinah?" the brunette asked.

"Taking a bath." Barbara said.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, she is, she was ashamed but I told her that all of us have nightmares? No?" she raised her brown and looked the tall young woman.

Helena rolled her eyes and turned her head to the other side knowing about what she was talking about. "Was nothing." She said.

"Sure."

"Watever," she crossed her arms and fixed her eyes on the red head "why was the meal the other day with her?"

"Is good go out sometimes."

Helena cocked her head. "The truth."

"I guessed would be fun move out Clocktower. Dinah don't know many places of the city," Barbara explained turning her head to see her "Came on don't tell me you didn't have fun."

"Yes, is just that we had a lot that we don't go out to lunch. You know, work." She shrunk her shoulders. "Now, the truth."

Barbara surrended. "You saw what happened. Her mind power exploted the door. I knew that Dinah had been sad but I never had thought about how much had affected her the bad memories of her childhood. She feels alone, with out family. I had been talking with her. Im just trying that she feels she is not alone, that she has us. You know how terrible is the feeling of solitude and loss."

"All right. I get it." The brunette waved her hands. She didn't go so deep in that topic.

The Delphi alarm sounded. Both looked up.

"Reese." Barbara said typing at her keyboard to do a zoom in a map that she opened at the top screen.

"He is near the reservoir."

"I'll be there in a few, is near from here."

"Right, while I'll keep doing this research."

Helena walked toward the elevator.

-----------------------------

Three patrols and an ambulance and a forence van were next to the sidewalk, police had closed the zone. Some paramedics were kneeled next to a body, maybe were at the zone ten policemen. She stood up on a next buliding, she pointed her scanner to the zone and pressed the zoom button. She had a better view of the body.

"Get it?" she asked to Oracle.

::Yes, all, thanks.::

She looked for him, she finale found him. He was far from the place. Recharged against his car talking by phone, she moved along the cornice stepping carefully. When she was near him, she jumped down. He didn't see her.

"Hi." She said.

He jumped on his place. When he saw her he shook his head. "Ill call you later John." He said before hung the phone.

"Did you call me?" she asked amused.

"You enjoy doing

"What?" she tilted her head.

"You know, appear suddenly and scare me."

"Don't be grumpy," Helena smiled; she liked be next to him. He had something that attracted her.

::Here we go again:: Oracle said.

--------------------------------------

::Give me a second Reese, not funny Oracle.:: Helena's voice was heard on the speakers.

Dinah smiled.

Oracle smiled to her self, she had find a clue."Wel Huntressl, all the people that had been murderer were meta-humans and Gibson is right, two of the names of the missing people appeared like two of the people murdered."

::Sounds bad.::

"This confirms the theory of a maniac." Dinah rubbed her chin sat next to the redhead.

"Exactly." Oracle sighed.

::How are you kid?::

"Im fine, Im sorry for last night."

::Was not your fault kid. Im glad you are okay.::

------------------------------

A man inside a car moved his binoculars to a side and took his radio. He smiled, she was predictable, where he was, was she. "Down street. Black long coat. Short hair. A black policeman is next to her."

::A woman?:: a voice was hearon the rdio.

"Don't ask, just do your job. You can't fail. She is dangerous."

"I have it." The man answered.

The man smiled. "Do it."

"Something wrong?" Reese asked.

Huntress put her hand over the mic of her necklace. ""It's Dinah, she hadn't feel okay the last days."

"I'm sorry, what happen?"

"She had a bad chilhood and sometimes nightmares." She did a pause and remembered her self, "Do you know? Sometimes is hard move it away of you. It's... well…"

Reese could read the sadness in her eyes. "I understand."

She smiled to him. She felt grateful he don't asked more, was hard talk about her feelings. He was trapped suddenly in her smile. They looked in silence a few seconds. Suddenly, she felt something, and was nothing good. He noticed her eyes changed to slidecats. Before he could ask, she felt an impact on her back that pushed her agains him. He wrapped his armas around her to avoid that she hit the ground. He didn't understand what was happening. The girl whimpered and buried her face on his chest. She had tried to react but hadn't been enough fast. Something had hit her back and hurted as hell. She bite her lips and pressed her eyeslides trying to endure the pain. He kneeled slowly on the floor with her.

Reese was hugging the young woman that kept unmoving between his arms. He felt warm between his fingers. He raised a bit the hand that had on her back and looked blood. "Shit…" he growled and moved her head of his chest; he moved the hair that was covering her face and noticed her look was lost and was breathing faster. "Huntress are you okay?"

All had been unexpected, suddenly she felt something pushing her against him. And a second later the darkness covered her. She felt she was floating inside a burble. Reese's voice echoed far. She tried to focus on his voice.

"Don't move." He took off his coat and put it as a pillow to rest the girl's head on the floor. He lie her

"Reese?" she said almost with a whispered. She couldn't feel anything. Was like be looking all throught a dirty window.

"Easy, easy. You will be okay, some one shot you." The detective leaned over her back, he ripped her coat with his hands putting his fingers on the sides of the hole to made by the bullet. The wound was big and don't looked well. "Just don't move." Reese raised his head and saw Morton walking toward him smiling. Morton? what the hell?it's suppoused he was dead.

------------------------------------------

Oracle frownered, the word "shot" had frozed her in her place. "Huntress? Everything okay?" she asked.

Silence at the comm.

"Huntress? Please, answer me."

"What happen?" Dinah turned to see her.

"Some one shot Huntress."

Dinah felt a cold chill on her back. "What?"

"I don't know exactly what happened. I just could herar Reese saying that." She fixed her eyes on the speakers "Huntress, are you there? Huntress?"

------------------------------

"Sorry, Service Secret service assignement." Morton raised an identification when Reese walked tolward him.

"Are you crazy?" the black detective shouted angry.

"Get away of her; she is dangerous." Morton said to Reese.

"Why the hell you shot her?" he faced his ex-partner. "You hit her to betrayal! For her back!"

"Was not me, was one of my men." He pointed up to a building.

"Snippers?" Reese couldn't hide his angry and punched him on his face. "Damn asshole!"

"Stay calm!" Morton shouted at the time that a van appeared. Men with rifles moved down surrounding them. "This is a national security mission and the best is that you stay calm if you don't want I arrest you!"

Mac Nally and the two policemen that were with him arrived in that momen looking Reese was discussing with a man. McNally looked Morton stunned.

"Morton? I thought…."

"No, I'm okay, I survived.." Morton said.


	7. Nightmare

Huntress moved restlessly trying to understand what had happened. She felt numb and confused She tried to clear her mind but for some reason she couldn't. The pain in her back was increasing.

::What's going on Huntress?:: the voice of Oracle echoed in her ears. She heard her but should couldn't focus on what she was asking. ::Huntress?::

"Here…" finally she said with great effort.

::What happened? Are you okay?::

"Someone shot me…" Huntress grunted. The damn bullet now felt like a burning stake in her back.

::How bad is it?::

"Dunno… hurts." She pressed her teeth.

Morton tried to calm Reese down. "She is dangerous and you know it."

"She was just talking to me!"

"Reese, look, I'm not going to discuss with you."

"You were dead! Tell me what the hell is going on now or I'll handcuff you and send you to the police station." the detective shouted.

"I'm not dead. Sometimes the things that you see are not real." He turned to look at Huntress lying on the floor "Except her. You can't send me to anyplace. I'm now working on a Top Secret mission."

"What are you talking about?"

"I told you, Secret Service. You can't interfere," he cradled his head, the headache had begun to bother him again. He glared to the girl lying on the ground.

"What is this all about?"

Morton shouted to him. "She is not human Reese, you know that. I must stop them. She will help us learn more about them and to find a way to stop their reproduction."

"What?" Reese pushed him with his hands.

"You know she is a thing." He rubbed his back of his head annoyed.

"She is innocent."

"Why if she hides from us? Why does she use the night move around? Why does she avoid contact with people?" Morton raised his brown "Why don't you know her name?"

Reese tried to control his anger and smashed his fist against Morton's damn smile. He pointed to one of his officers "Call the paramedics and the ambulance!"

* * *

.

Oracle tried desperately to access the damage of the bullet. Huntress never complained about her wounds; and if she did it, it was because it was really bad.

:: Damn.:: Huntress growled almost in a whisper.

The red head tried to help her to keep her mind clear "Can you move? You need to move out of there! We can pick you up you near there."

::Where are you? ::

"Huntress, focus please. Stay calm. I need you to move out of there. Can you walk?"

* * *

.

Huntress looked at Reese through her unruly hair; he was discussing something with someone. She noticed three policemen surrounding her but they were watching Reese. She looked at her side, there was a high fence. If she moved fast she could jump it. Oracle, was right, she needed to move. She shook her head, she needed to try.

::Can you walk?:: Oracle asked again.

"I'll try…" The brunette closed her eyes and took a breath. Slowly she tried to stand up supporting her weight on her right knee.

"Careful!" Morton watched the young woman attempt to stand up. He pushed Reese, and grabbed his gun from the holster. Before Reese could avoid him, he shot her.

Huntress yelled feeling the bullet burying itself deep into her thigh; she bent down and fell on her side hitting the ground hard.

::Huntress!:: Oracle shouted in the mic when she heard her protégé's scream.

The brunette growled. Reese, annoyed, smashed his fist harder against on Morton's face. "Damn asshole!!". McNally and some of Morton's police men jumped over him to avoid him beating Morton to a pulp. Furious, he tried to free himself.

::Huntress, Huntress answer me.:: Oracle said, trying to control her self. She didn't know what was happening.

"My leg…" the brunette whimpered.

::Please, stay calm. He shot you again?:: the red head asked.

The brunette took her thigh between her hands and rolled on her side pressing her forehead against the cold ground. "Yes…"

"Damn asshole!" Reese shouted, held by two men.

Morton wiped his lip with the back his hand. "This is a federal investigation. Clear the area." He ordered his men "Take him out."

"You will pay for this!!" Reese growled.

McNally took Reese's arm. "Calm down man." He said "You can't do anything."

"I need to talk to the commissioner." Reese said furiously. She was hurt and he needed to help her.

Morton, smiling, took out his handkerchief to clean his lip and walked up to Huntress who moved restlessly on the floor.

::Stay calm. I'm thinking of a way to move you out of there.:: Oracle said to her protegee through the mic.

Huntress knew the sickness she was feeling was not a good sign. She felt the sweat covering her face. Now things had gone worse. Oracle had better move fast. Suddenly she felt someone grabbing her by her shirt and raising her a few inches off the ground roughly. She grunted.

"We meet again Huntress." Morton said, kneeling next to her, smirking.

She froze. Two cat slits just like hers were fixed on her eyes. Morton. That couldn't be. How could he have survived? The police report said he was dead.

* * *

.

Dinah felt she was in the middle of a nightmare, this couldn't be happening, "Who is that?" she asked listening to the conversation and atching the screen.

"I don't know, and I don't like his words." Oracle looked at the screen in concern. "He knows her, but he's definitely not a friend."

"Where is she? I need to go…"

"No, stay here."

"I need to help her!" Dinah said, almost shouting.

Oracle turned and faced her. Her gaze was cold and hard. "I said stay here." She pointed to the screen "I need to focus to help her, please, don't make me lose time discussing this! If you were to get into trouble I can't help both of you at the same time!" Barbara took Dinah's hand, she didn't want scare her or be rude, "Please help me, I'm trying to save her."

Dinah understood and nodded.

* * *

.

He knew she had recognized him. "Yes, it's me. I've come to pick you up. Cat's have seven lives Huntress, remember?"

"You are crazy."

He pushed her against Reese´s car. She pressed her teeth trying not to cry. "Be nice or I will be rude." Morton looked her wounds "Mmm, you are pretty hurt. Loosing so much blood is bad. Do you know that?"

Huntress followed her instincts, she hit him in his face with her right fist, causing him to fall backwards. He released her and she heard sound of guns loading and saw the policemen preparing to shoot her. She glared at them fighting against the darkness that was surrounding her mind."

"No!" Morton yelled, "Don't shot!" He stood up and walked toward her. She raised her head to look at him.

"Never do that again!" he kicked the wound on her leg.

The brunette cried and held her leg.

"I don't want hurt you."

"Killer." Huntress gasped. "You killed all those people, you will pay for it."

Morton leaned on and, grabbing her neck with his hand he whispered into her ear "No freak, it was you. I'll prove that you are just a creature and that you killed them. You and I are going to have fun time. And after that all those headaches will disappear. Do you like the idea?" He smiled watching Huntress have difficulty in keeping conscious from her wounds and loss of blood.

* * *

.

"What did he say," Oracle asked, frowning.

"IT was in a whisper," Alfred moved his head, "hard to know."

"Who is he? She knows him!" Dinah said.

"We need to move her out of there." The red head brushed her hair with her fingers nervously. "I must find a way."

"It's hard with all those policemen around her." Alfred said.

"I'm working on it."

Dinah looked scared; she had lost her mom. She didn't want to lose Helena, She along with Barbara and Alfred, were now her family. She couldn't lost any one else.

* * *

.

Morton pushed Huntress harder against the floor. She growled as it hit her back. Her eye lids felt heavier, it was hard to try keep them open. She was losing the battle to keep he self conscious. That man was crazy and out of his mind, she needed stop him. She needed to protect Oracle. She didn't know that he was back. She coughed and felt the iron taste of blood on her lips. Damn, that was not good; things were turning bad. Two paramedics arrived.

"No one called you, go away!" Morton shouted.

"I called them!" said someone next to them, one of them opened his emergency kit and the other one moved a portable stretcher to her side.

"She is hurt we can't." the young paramedic answered him, taking out some supplies from his emergency kit.

"I said move away!" Morton shouted pushing one of the paramedics.

"You will get into trouble if you don't let us help her!" the other paramedic said.

"He is right," said one of Morton's men.

"Damn itt, who called them?"

"Officer MacNally." The paramedic took off his belt and began to tie a tourniquet on Huntress' leg.

"Shoot her if she tries to escape." Morton turned and walked toward his car.

Huntress swallowed and closed her eyes. The paramedic asked her something, but she couldn't understand what was he saying, his voice was distorted and far; her head began to spin, dizziness and confusion enveloped her. The loss of blood was too much for her and she passed out.

"She is unconscious."

"Vitals is low."

"We need to move her fast."


	8. A old friend come back

Hi, thanks for your post. The edition sometimes is not good becouse I don't speak english, and many nice friends helpme editing and fixing mistakes, its har find sa good editor… Sorry; ill try to do it better

-----------------------------

Oracle looked at the screen. "They got her, we need rescue to her." Her hands moved as fast as she could command them. Nervously, she typed commands on her keyboard to intercept the police and 911 frequencies. She connected in a few seconds.

"What are you doing?" Dinah asked, feeling her heart beat faster.

"She needs help." Oracle explained "I'm listening in on the paramedics conversation and I have an idea about her situation. She is loosing so much blood; if they check her type of blood she is going to be in trouble."

They began to hear voices on the speakers. Oracle had entered inside the 911 computer system.

5591. Unknown woman. Shot on Jefferson street. 

"That's her ambulance." Barbara typed frantically on the computer. "The operator is now look for an available hospital at the database; I'm going to order the computer system to send them to Central Hospital." 

"Why?" Dinah asked.

"Shhh…" Oracle tried to gain more on Helena's condition.

5519 the operator said Central Hospital on fifth avenue. 

Right… 5591 to central Hospital. the paramedic voice replied.

Central Hospital. a female voice answered.

Unknown woman, maybe 24 years. Two bullet wounds. Back and upper thigh. Pulse 140 and steady, BP 50/30. Probably lung damage. She's wheezing. 

0-2, ten liters Albuterol nebulizer and solumedrol, IV push. I'm sending you the blood type analysis have the blood ready. She has lost so much. 

Barbara intercepted the file and opened it. She typed fast to modify it. After a few seconds she resent it to the hospital.

"Well, now she is –A." the redhead mumbled pressing the "send" button.

Dinah observed her, amazed, she was a wizard.

Got it. Let me check my database to have it ready when you arrive.. 

"All right." Oracle dialled a phone number and looked the old man. "I got her. Alfred prepare six units of blood. I'm printing some labels for the hospital. Dinah in my upper closet there I green box, inside it is some clothes, take the nurse uniform and get dressed in it now."

"What?"

"Just do it."

The blonde nodded and ran to the red head's room while Alfred walked to the fridge in the laboratory. Dinah knew she couldn't fault now, she needed her help. She was her friend, she was her sister. She needed her like she needed Barbara. She couldn't fail them. 

-------------------------------------------

Dr. Leslie Tompkins grabbed her coat and put it over her shoulders. It had been a long day. She had been the director of the hospital for 5 years. She liked her job. She had the opportunity to help many people with all her knowledge. Her phone rang.  
"Dr. Tomkins."

::Leslie, it's Barbara.::

"Gordon, long time no speak." She smiled.

::Leslie, I'm sorry, this is an emergency.::

The old woman sighed. "Honey, with you it's always an emergency. What's going on?" she leaned he back against her desk crossing her arm around her waist.

::Helena is in trouble, she was patrolling and talking with a friend about some murders in the city. Someone shot her. I think it was the police. They talk about her as if she is a dangerous criminal."

"What?" the old woman almost yelled.

::We don't have time. They are moving her towards your hospital.::

"I got it." The old woman removed her coat. "Do you know anything about her condition?" 

::No, just that she has two bullets wounds.:: Oracle explained :: According to the police reports, it's bad, I don't know how serious the injuries are. I lost communication with her. I think she passed out. Her necklace and her earrings are a com set. I can follow her with it.::

"Oracle, we can't do surgery if we don't have her type of blood." Leslie walked towards the window and looked down the street.

::I intercepted the transmission to your hospital. I changed the files. They think it's –A. I modified your database when your nursed look for it. She would've find that you don't have that type of blood in the hospital. I programmed the system to inform them the only place that had that type of blood was New Gotham hospital. When they send the order I'll intercept the call and inform them the blood is on the way. But the truth is that I'm going to send someone to you with Helena's blood. I have a new protégé, Dinah, Dinah Lance.::

"Oracle, you are a damn genius." Leslie couldn't avoid feeling marveled "Tell her to go to ER and ask for me. Got it?"

:: Dinah is on her way.:: Oracle said. ::Remember you need clean the place, any trace of her, blood, skin,. Dinah will help you:::

"Don't worry, and later I'll scold you for having your nose inside my computer database."

:::Leslie please, take care of her.::

"I'll personally be in the surgery room."

::Thanks… just remember police don't know who is she. Don't call her by her name.::.

"I'll call you." She walked out of her office. 

------------------------------------------ 

"Trauma two, now!" the doctor said as soon as the emergency door swung open. The paramedics ran as they pushed Huntress' stretcher through the corridors.

The brunette recovered her consciousness; she realized she was on a stretcher lying on her stomach. The loss of blood had made her extremely incoherent. There were doctors and nurses surrounding the stretcher as they raced toward the Emergency room. She noticed an oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth; she was inside a hospital; that was not good. Where was Oracle? She needed her now. She tried to move her hands and felt her wrists handcuffed to the stretcher. She couldn't avoid feeling scared surrounded by so many unknown people and helplessly tried to escape.

"Oracle…" she mumbled. 

Dr. Tompkins walked outside from the elevator; she noticed Secret Service Agents standing in front of the emergency room; they wore grey suits, with an American Flag pin on one lapel, Secret Service pin on the other, small earphone in one ear, the cord running down into his jacket. It pissed her off. She felt her place had been invaded. She watched the paramedics run with the stretcher inside the emergency room and followed them.

Huntress' eyes fluttered open. She felt the movement stopped and everybody moving frantically around her. Leslie walked inside the surgery room. She was used to seeing people in terrible situations, but she couldn't avoid feeling a knot in her throat looking at the pale face of the young woman that she knew since she was a child; the nurses were removing her clothes and her back was covered on blood. She looked disoriented and confused.

"Dr. Tompkins." A doctor greeted "What are you doing here?"

"It's impossible to ignore all this damn police movement Dr. Bumiller." she said raising her hands to let a nurse put dress her in a surgery gown and gloves. "I come to help you. What do we have here?"

"Young woman, two gun wounds. Call Radiology nurse, let's get a portable back film." 

The nurse nodded.

"How much blood has she lost?" He asked a paramedic.

"Maybe 2000 cc. She is bleeding deeply."

The nurse finished dressing Leslie and she took out her a small flashlight from her pocket and walked towards the young girl. Her chest was moving up and down in a way she didn't like.

Huntress fekt a hand on her eyeslides; a shining a light over her eyes made her brunette groan. The doctors were talking to her or maybe not, whatever, she couldn't understood their words, it was like being in a distant world. Some one slapped her cheeks; she was too stunned to protest. A woman's face appeared a few inches from hers. She fixed her eyes on her.

Green eyes.

She knew those eyes?

Leslie understood Helena didn't recognize her; she leaned next to her ear and whispered: "Don't worry little monster; Barbara called me, she is worried about you." The brunette blinked. "You are safe." Leslie said "I'm not going to move a inch away from you."

"Les…?" Huntress tried to focus on her face and coughed.

"You will be okay." 

Huntress closed her eyes feeling relieved knowing she was next to her. The last thing she felt was a nurse removing her necklace and earrings; she nodded off, too weak to remain conscious any longer.

Leslie frowned looking her teeth were red. She moved her finger inside her mouth softly and brushed her teeth and lips inside. She moved her finger back, it was red. She tested it with her thumb and smelled it. Blood. That was not good. She opened her mouth and moved her finger inside trying to check if she hadn't bit her tongue. Dr. Tompkins moved back and looked Dr. Bumiller. "Sedate her now, we need to work."

"Do you know her?" Dr. Bumiller asked.

"No, but she seems be very scared." Dr. Tompkins examined her back. "This is not a handgun bullet wound. Seems like a sniper shot her; look at it. Damn bastard, whoever he is, he shot her in a cowardly way. The lung has got to be damaged."

A nurse took Huntress' arm and inserted an needle in it from an IV. She noticed her wrist were handcuffed to the stretcher and looked the doctors.

Leslie felt the anger growing inside her. "What is this?"

"I don't know." The nurse mumbled.

Furious she opened the emergency room. "Who is the damn official in charge here?"

"Me." A tall man answered.

"Uncuff her now!"

"She is dangerous." he said.

"Dangerous my ass!! She is bleeding to death!" Leslie shouted. That was Barbara's child and no one was going to deal with her as if she were a savage animal. "Give me the keys now!"

"She can escape."

The old woman walked toward them. "Remove the handcuffs now or I'll do it by my self! This is my hospital! This is my surgery room! My duty is to save her life! Now give me the damn keys!!"

The man gave the doctor the keys and moved his head.

Leslie turned and walked back inside the surgery room; she gave the keys to the nurse. "Uncuff her".

The X-ray tech arrived to the room "I'm here."

"Move faster." Dr. Bumiller ordered. 

"Scanning." The tech said moving the scanner over her. 

---------------------------------

"He said it's a Top Secret mission," Reese yelled at his boss. He was talking with him using his cellphone, "but he shot a civilian who was just standing up talking on the street! And when she was lying on the floor he shot her again! That's not legal!"

::Reese calm down. If he showed you the order, we can't interfer. It's a federal matter.:: he said.

"Even if it's a top secret mission it doesn't justify shooting innocent civilians." He rubbed his head nervously.

::Reese I understand…::

"Why didn't anybody tell us Morton was alive?" he interrupted, "the man is crazy."

::I didn't know that either. I'm investigating it. The only information I could catch up with is that he is the head of an important operation.::

"He killed people!"

::We couldn't prove it. The story about him taking other people's abilities and that these people could do weird things is ridiculous Reese, came on!::

"We agree, It's stupid and now he has shot an innocent civilian that was talking to me and the whole time he argued she was a "creature""

::Look, let me investigate this, I promise to talk with his boss, while go home."

Reese moved his head and hung the phone. He walked toward his car.

------------------------------------------

"Okay, two wounds." Dr. Bumiller said "One in her back, trajectory up-down. Her lung may be damaged, the paramedics confirmed she coughed blood and she has problems breathing. Second one in her right upper thigh. We need to check if it has damaged the bone. Both bullets are still inside."

"Tracheal shift and hyper resonant on the left." A nurse said.

"0-2, fifteen liters."

"She's in shock." Another nurse said.

"Respiratory rate's coming down." Dr. Bumiller examined the monitors.

"Chlorine gas poisoning." Leslie ordered "She's on humidified oxygen, fifteen liters per minute. Give her solumedrol, 125milligrams IV."

"What's her BP?" Dr. Bumiller asked.

"Hold on, pulse ox is low, 82." The nurse said.

"Dr. Bumiller, sixteen gauge needle. Intubate her now." Leslie ordered.

Dr. Bumiller moved fast and removed the oxygen mask from the girl's face. "Give me a 6.5 tube." He said. "Get me blood pressure."

"Chest tube tray?" another nurse asked.

"No, start a central line." Leslie took a scalpel and cut the tear near the bullet wound.

Dr. Bumiller struggled a few seconds intubating Huntress. "I got it. Ok, start the central line now." Dr. Bumiller said.

"Beta dine and a sterile drape." Leslie asked.

The surgery room door opened. Dinah looked stunned as she watched the movement in the surgery room. "Dr. Tompkins?" she asked shyly. "Dinah Lance, New Gotham hospital."

"Do you bring the blood?" Dr. Tompkins raised her eyes.

"Yes, yes…" Dinah said. She froze when her eyes fell on her unmoving friend covered in blood.

"Nurse! Give me 4 units of the blood, hang two on the rapid infuser."

A nurse took the small box that Dinah carried; the blonde looked worriedly at her friend lying unconscious on the stretcher intubated. She noticed Huntress' necklace and the earrings of on a tray next to her. She took it carefully and put it inside her pockets.

"There's too much bleeding, I can't identify the source." Leslie grumbled working on the girl's back "More suction." She moved her head back "All right, angled potts, now."

"What are you doing?" Dr. Bumiller frownered.

"Pringle maneuver. I have to cut down this blood loss. More suction dammit!"

Dr. Leslie noticed Dinah's face turning pale. The young girl had maybe never seen so much blood in all her life. "Miss Lance. I need to talk with you; don't go, Could you wait for me outside?"

"Sure, sure…" Dinah walked outside with out thinking about it twice followed by a nurse.

"Dr. Tompkins?" Dr. Bumiller watched her work. "We need…"

"Give me a second," Leslie examined the wound carefully looking for the bullet "I'll be right there."

After a few seconds she shouted "I got it!" she moved her hand back and took out the bullet placing it on a tray. "Run another unit."

"She's losing it as fast as we can get it."

"Then do it quickly. We need to stabilize her"


	9. Angel hand's

Thanks so much to shaddy for her help to edit….Waves to night…

* * *

. 

Oracle moved her back against her chair. She played nervously with her fingers. Alfred stood up behind her. The situation was really bad. The only good thing was that Leslie was helping her.

::Barbara, I gave her the blood.:: Oracle felt a great relief hearing her protegee´s voice.

"I'm here Dinah. Do you know how she is?"

::She looks bad,:: Oracle heard the teen's voice break :: she was covered in blood and the place was full with doctors. It was terrible.::

"Stay calm Dinah. Don't worry, if Leslie is with her everything will be okay."

::She was so pale, as like the dead…::

"I trust in her. I need you to be strong now, she needs you now." Oracle listened to the silence. "Are you okay?"

::Sorry, you're right. It's just… this is difficult, I'm scared.::

"I know it."

::I don't want loose her.::

"She is going to be okay Dinah, don't worry. Now, please, tell me, are there policemen in the hospital?"

::Yes. There are almost ten and outside and two patroling.::

"So many cops inside, this is not good Alfred." She looked him.

"We need to find a way miss Gordon." He said.

"I know, I know, only Leslie will help us." Oracle tried to think of what to do.

::Leslie told me to wait for her.::

"Do it. It's a good idea. I think it's the only thing we can do now and she will tell you how the surgery went."

::Could you please talk to me?::

"Talk to you?"

::Please…::

Oracle leaned back, she understood how Dinah felt. Talk was a good idea. "All right, about what would you like to talk about?"

::Who is this doctor? Why does she know who you are?::

"She has helped Helena's father many times. He trusted in her and she kept his secret safe. In her early years she had worked with Bruce's father who was a doctor. She has helped us many times, and she has kept our secret. In our profession it's good to have a surgeon near. She had been ours since that day."

::She knows Helena?::

"Yes, Selina knew everything about Tompkins. She was her personal doctor since Selina came back to New Gotham." Oracle smiled remembering those years. "She is like a grandmother for her."

::She is a good friend of yours too.::

"Yes, she is."

* * *

. 

"Heart rhythm is decreasing." A nurse said in surgery room.

"I'm moving, I'm moving." Leslie was working on the damaged lung. She looked at Helena's pale face, her skin was ashen. She swallowed and resumed her work, she needed to focus on it an not in her feelings; she was having a very hard time trying not to loose her. A nurse cleaned her sweaty forehead "Inject her with more solumedrol, 100 milligrams. We to need close this artery Dr. Bumiller, it's the one that has been bothering us and the source of the bleeding."

He looked where she was pointing with her finger "I see it. Give me a second. He took some pinchers.

* * *

. 

"And?" Morton yelled in his mobile to one of his men at the hospital. He paced nervously on the street. Having Helena in hospital was not part of the plan.

::She is in surgery now.:: the voice confirmed.

"New Gotham Police?"

::Outside, we showed them our Secret Service credentials.::

"We need to move her out of there as soon as possible."

::That will be impossible. I don't think the hospital will authorize that. The doctor said that the wound in her back is really bad.::

"Your damn man shot her that way! I wanted her injured! Not dead!" Morton shouted hitting his car with his fist.

::She is alive!:: the man at the other side of the line said.

"But she is in a public hospital!" Morton felt angry, he wanted to take her to his place. That only delayed his plans. "We can't loose time. We can't… Damn it!" he rubbed his head "Keep an eye on her, don't let no one, No one! hear me? I don't want no one near her!"

::Right sir.::

* * *

. 

Leslie moved back, a nurse cleaned her forehead. That had been a very hard surgery. She removed her gloves and began to undress.

"Wow, now that was great work," Dr. Bumiller said, "congratulations."

"Thanks." Tomkins said. That damn bullet on her back had given her most of the trouble. She wanted to find the son of bitch that had shot her in the back and hang him from a big tree. "Move her to the intensive care room."

"Right," Dr. Bumiller took off his gloves, "I'll keep an eye on her."

"No, let me do it. You go to rest doctor."

"But."

"I have to work anyway" she lied, "finishing some reports."

"All right."

Outside the surgery room Dinah felt like seconds had turned into hours. She played with her fingers nervously and looked her watch. She had been inside the surgery room for more than three hours. The ER room door opened, she raised her head. A nurse walked outside, she looked her and made a sign with her hand to follow her. Dinah followed her.

The doctors were preparing to move the unconscious brunette. Dinah looked at her scared, she had her chest bandaged, and her right arm on a sling, she had an oxygen mask over her nose and a IV was pumping blood into her arm. She could hear the beep of a heart monitor connected to her stretcher. She always was strong and now, she looked so fragile. The doctors rolled the stretcher out with unconscious Helena on it.

"Don't worry she is okay, she's quite stable now, and the procedure is really routine. I secured her arm to prevent her from moving it. Will be less painful. She's going to be fine, don't worry." Tompkins placed her hand on Dinah's shoulder and told the nurses that were inside. "Girls give me a few seconds alone please."

As soon as they left, they locked the door immediately. She went to the next wall and opened the door that connected with the emergency room where the teen was. Some nurses were cleaning there. "Could you please give me a few seconds ladies?"

The nurses nodded and walked outside. Leslie locked the door behind her too.

"She will be okay? Are you sure?" Dinah asked worriedly.

"Yes honey, don't' worry, now quickly," she touched the blonde's shoulder "we need to do an exchange in both rooms. Take the stretcher and change it, I'll do the same with the box of the dirty clothes and the surgery equipment. Police are sure examine her clothes and her blood." Leslie carried the box with the dirty clothes to the other room "In this room we just operated on a man involved in a car accident. If they take these things, they are going to examine the man's things. We don't want anyone knowing who she is, right?"

Dinah moved as fast as she could. When she finished, Leslie gave her some old clothes and cleaned up some small blood spots on the floor while she put Helena's clothes inside a plastic bag. She gave it to Dinah.

"Dinah, downstairs there's an incinerator, burn the clothes there, later I'll see you at my office."

* * *

. 

::She is quite stable now Barbara,:: Leslie explained over phone a few minutes later from her office ::But it was pretty hard work trying not to loose her. That son of bitch really did a number on her. There were a few complications but she is strong, I have moved her to the Intensive care area. She was shot.::

"I know." Barbara said. She was sitting in front of Delphi and Alfred behind her listening attentively. They had felt more calm when they heard Leslie's voice. It ha been a hard night.

::Do you know that it was by a sniper?::

"What?" Barbara almost jumped off her seat.

::The one in her lower shoulder. It damaged her lung. It was a pretty bad wound. The wound in her leg was not dangerous but very painful.::

"Damn it. She was talking with somebody, a man. I couldn't recognize his voice. But she knew him. We need know who he is." Barbara removed her glasses and leaned back in her chair.

::This place is like a police station at the moment.:: Leslie said ::What she broken now?::

"I don't know, but I need to move her out of there."

::Not now, we need to wait a little more. It's to dangerous move her at least for the next 24 hours. I sent Dinah home. She needs some rest. I'll keep an eye on Helena.::

"Please Leslie, don't leave her alone:"

"Don't worry my friend. I sent Dinah home, I gave her some pills; she was too nervous. She is new, right?"

::Yes… she escaped from her home, her adopted parents were really… you know… she was a mistreated child… it has been difficult for her and a few months ago she lost her mother. She is now afraid she will loose Helena. Helena hasn't been exactly nice with her but she appreciates her so much.::

"I understand. Keep an eye on her. I'll check on your big girl here."

::Thanks.::

* * *

. 

Barbara waited patiently for Dinah's return; she knew the teen would be feeling bad. The elevator door opened, Dinah walked inside hugging her self and walker towards the platform. Barbara removed her glasses and looked her; she turned her wheelchair.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." The teen nodded her head.

Barbara took her hand and Dinah hugged her crying.

"She was… she was so pale." She mumbled.

"Don't worry." Barbara rubbed her back, "Leslie told me she will be okay, trust her."

"I'm scared."

"She will recover soon."

"I know but I'm scared." Dinah sobbed, "there was so much blood…"

"I know," Barbara wiped her tears, "and now she needs us, we need to keep that in mind. Remember? It's the only way to help her. We need to think how to move her out of there. I need you. I can't do this alone."

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, I understand you, It's to good cry, but I want you to know that I need you now."

Dinah moved back and wiped her tears. "I know, what do you want me to do?"

"Go to rest now, we can't do nothing now, Leslie says we can't move her for the next 24 hours. She will help us to move her out of there."

"All right, and you?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. Go sleep. I need you fresh and alert tomorrow."

"I prepared some tea for you Miss Dinah, it will help you to sleep better." Alfred said. He looked at the redhead "And for you I have brewed a big pot of coffee. I know you."

Barbara smiled, "Yes, you now me, thanks Alfred." She felt sad too but she needed to help her protégé more to work on helping her feel better about the situation.

"Thanks Alfred." Dinah said taking the mug of tea.

Barbara sighed and turned back towards her computer, she had work to do. She needed to find a way to move Helena out of the hospital avoiding all that security.


	10. Lost

Reese paced around in his office nervously. He was the only officer around in the offices. He looked the ring that Huntress had given to him a few months ago. He had touched it waiting for a call from Oracle unsucesfully, maybe she was trying to rescue her. He felt angry and annoyed; how could Morton shoot her? Damn it!. His mobile rang. He speedily took it out of his pocket and answered it. "Yeah. Reese." ::Detective Reese, this is Oracle.:: "Oracle? I'm glad to hear you."

::Sorry If I didn't call you but I was a bit busy.::

"How is she?" ::Stable but in intensive care. The director of the hospital is a friend of mine, she says she will be okay. I'm trying to figure out how to help her. What happened there Reese? The doctor told me she was shot by a sniper in the back. The hospital is full of policemen, what is happening?::

"We were talking about nothing, suddenly she fell against me. It was a shot from no where. I was trying to find out what had happened when at that moment I saw in front of me an ex-partner that I thought was dead. Remember Morton?" ::Who?:: "The case of the meta-humans that were killed months ago. Huntress told me he died when he fell off a building after he tried to kill her. Claude Morton." ::Morton? Your ex-partner?:: Oracle asked stunned ::How did he survive?::

"I have no idea. But he is obsessed with her."

Leslie checked the IV, the fluid was flowing correctly. The damage in her lung had been pretty bad and the bullet had broken a rib in her thorax. Her blue eyes fixed on Helena, she had ordered a breather over her nose to help her fill her lungs easily with oxygen; she looked her chest, it was moving up and down in a normal way, the breather was working well. The color had come back to her cheeks.

She took her hand between hers pressing it lightly. She wanted let her know that she was there, that she loved her; that she was not alone. Her little child had grown up so much; she had turned into a beautiful, strong and violent woman. It was almost impossible to try to find the warm and mischievous child that she had met many years ago. Selina had told her in the beginning who her father was. She knew since the beginning the story, before everyone else and had promised keep it secret. She admired him, and when Helena was a child she saw so much of his energy and attitudes in her, stubbornness, determination, character; she was, in those years, a smaller version of him. She smiled and wiped the sweat off the unconscious young woman's face with her handkerchief. She had been a real headache, a lovely headache. Leslie leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "You will be okay, don't worry." She looked her watch walked towards her office to take a bath and rest a few hours.

Oracle listened carefully to detective Reese playing with his fingers on the table. Morton's return meant nothing good. How could he have survived? Police had declared him dead. Morton had murdered and would do it again easily.

"Why does he want her?" ::I don't know, he said he was working on a government project to find a way to stop the reproduction of meta-humans.:: "What?" Oracle almost yelled at the mic. "The man is crazy." Alfred mumbled. Dinah stopped working on the next computer to listen. :: My contacts are working on trying to find out what it's all about. I checked my system and couldn't find anything. It must be because he said it's was a top Secret project."

"That worries me more Reese, I to need move her out of that hospital." ::But if is a fede…:: Reese sighed.

"Detective, he can kill her, you know that." The red head explained with a harsh voice "Your sense of following rules can sometimes be annoying." ::Why don't you just let people know who you are?:: Alfred noticed the red head's face was red with anger. "You know the government Reese, they never accept things they can't understand. If they know that she is different they'll turn her into a guinea pig. I don't want that for her." ::I'm sorry Oracle, I didn't want…:: Reese excused himself :: I never would let something happened to her. She helped me so much. Trust in me Oracle.::

"I'm not going let any one touch her, and doesn't matter how many people I need to push aside, including you Reese."

There was silence on the other line. "I'll do some research about what this 'Top Secret' mission is about." Oracle added, "Thank-you detective. I'll call you if I know more." She cut the line. Alfred raised his brow surprised. It was not often he saw the red head pissed off.

"I understand Helena when she says he is too right." Oracle mumbled. "He is young madam. He will learn."

"Things have gone worse Alfred. With Morton behind all of this we need to move faster." Oracle looked at him with concern. "That man can kill her all too easily now; she is not in any condition to defend herself." "Dr. Tompkins would be better to prevent it." "Yea, right." She took the phone and dialed again.

* * *

The ringing phone woke up the old doctor who was deeply asleep on her couch. She looked dizzly around for her cell. She had maybe slept just a few hours, she looked at her watch, it was midday. "Tompkins." ::Leslie, this is Barbara:: "Oh Barbara, hi.." she rubbed her eyes. The door to Leslie's office opened suddenly. A brunette haired nurse appeared. "The police is the patient of room 235 out." She reported.

"What?" Leslie stood up immediately. That was Helena.

"You told me I advise you if something abnormal happened, we tried to stop them but they refused." "You did okay." She took her medical robe and walked briskly out of her office. "Barbara, I'll call you in a few minutes, I have an emergency now."

::Leslie, wait…:: Before the red head could finish, Leslie hung the phone up. She gave it to the nurse. Several officers pushed Huntress' unconscious form on a stretcher out the elevator over the main floor, one pushed the oxygen tank and other the IV bag. Morton walked in front of them. He needed move faster and get her out of the hospital as fast as possible. When they neared the exit, Leslie appeared.

"Now what the hell is happening here?" she growled.

"They have taken the patient out of the intensive care with out permission Dr. Tompkins." One of the doctors explained.

"Dr. Tompkins? Director of this hospital?" Morton said.

"Yes?" Tompkins said. "I'm Detective Claude Morton. I'm the official in charge here," Morton said showing Leslie his credentials. "I need to take this girl immediately to Arkham. She is a dangerous criminal. We have been haunting her for many months. At this moment she has a good opportunity to escape." "Detective Morton." The old woman crossed her arms "We fought for four hours trying to save her life. She needs rest; we need to keep her under observation at least 24 hours."

"Sorry, we want to avoid her from escaping." Morton explained cradling his head in his head. Being near the young meta-human was annoying him. "We need to take her out of here now."

"Are you crazy? Do you want kill her? What kind of cop are you?" "Maybe you don't understand Doctor:" He rubbed his back head. "This is a federal case, and top secret." "She needs at least three days to recover! You can't roll her off to prison a few hours after the surgery! She needs to rest at least 72 hours, Do you want kill her?" "Dr. We need take her out of here it's a matter of national security." "And is this a hospital," Leslie at glared him "And she is a girl that is half-dead thanks of you."

"She attacked our men. We were just defending ourselves."

"Explain to me why she was shot by a sniper?"

Morton froze. "Excuse me?" "The wound in her back was caused by sniper rifle. A cowardly attack! Is this not correct? She was not attacking anyone, someone shot her in the back. The bullet was from a sniper" She took out a plastic bag with the bullet in it. "And you used the sniper against her because it was an ambush." "This woman is very dangerous and mortal. You don't know her."

"Can't you see that she is in a critical condition? We need to keep an eye on her wounds, clean it and gave her medication. This is the best place for her now." Morton took Leslie's arm and walked her away far from of the guards and doctors. Huntress couldn't follow the conversation, she was still very drugged and lost the battle to remain conscious. "Doctor, maybe you don't know but, she is not human. She is a creature." Leslie didn't know if she wanted to kick or hit the man. "We are the Secret Service." Morton explained "Only three people know about this. All of them are dangerous and we need to stop them. She looks like a human but is not, she is a freak." That pissed Leslie off. She hated people calling Helena in such disrespective way. "Freak? She is human 'detective' watch your mouth."

"Doctor, we're not talking about people. We're dealing with something very dangerous here, don't make the mistake of thinking those creatures are anything like us. Crazy things happen at nights in this city. They are the cause. They call themselves metahumans, but the real word for what they are is dangerous."

"Detective, that is a young girl with bones, lungs, heart and blood. Don't tell me she is just a **_creature_**. "

Morton felt frustrated, she didn't understand. "They look just like regular people. They're everywhere. It's a secret subculture right underneath our noses. Their kind is drawn to crime, they think they're above the law. The metahumans had families, built lives here, they're here still. Some even married humans. You don't even wanna know how screwed up those kids are."

Leslie couldn't avoid showing her frustration. "You are committing a big mistake. Arkham has good doctors but no specialists. She needs care. I don't think you would like her death on your hands. I'm the director of this hospital and she is my responsibility until she recovers."

"I'm sorry, this is my work. I need take her to Arkham now." He looked the girl, maybe the doctor was right and she couldn't survive with out adequate attention. "Why don't you come with us?"

Leslie accepted immediately, she couldn't leave Helena alone in those crazy men's hands. "Bring my medical bag," She ordered to one of the nurses immediately. She looked at the unconscious girl and she noticed a handcuff chaining her left wrist to the stretcher.

"Is that necessary?" she asked Morton, "She can't move."

"Doctor, when I show you who she is, you will understand, trust in me."

"All right." She nodded, she didn't have much options.

* * *

Dinah walked inside the Clocktower. The blonde had just woken up after a hard and stressful night. "What happened?"

"We have problems. Remember Claude Morton? The Reese's ex-partner?"

"Yea, he wanteded to kill meta's."

"He's the one that caught Helena."

"She was talking with him!"

"Yes," the red head dialed Leslie's mobile number again "I need to warn Leslie." A strange voice answered it. "It's an emergency." Oracle insisted. After a few seconds she heard the response and didn't like it, "What? Where did she go?"

Alfred and Dinah watched her, paying attention.

"But why? How? She can't be move!! Damn it!!!" Barbara couldn't hide her anger and broke the pencil that she had in her left hand. "Do you have the number of the ambulance?"

Dinah stood up and waited patiently until Barbara finished the phone conversation. The red head wrote some numbers on a paper and looked at her concerned. "He has taken her." She mumbled.

"What?"

"A few minutes ago; the "police" moved Helena out of the hospital, the man identified himself as Claude Morton. Leslie spoke with him, she didn't' want them to move her out and she went with them. Leslie gave the nurse her mobile and she exited so fast that she didn't claim it back again." Oracle tried to break the codes of the Secret Services agency's security block, to find a clue about what mission Morton was heading. Her fingers moved at an incredible speed over the keyboard.

The Delphi alert alarm turned on.

"Reese," Oracle said lifting the phone and dialing his number. "maybe he has something."

::Oracle, something is wrong.::

"What happened detective?"

::My friend that works at Secret Service says he doesn't know anything about a Top Secret mission headed by Morton. He did some research with other agencies and Claude Morton doesn't work for any Federal department.::

"What?"

::He was lying. The whole operation last night was a trick. I'm hading towards the hospital now.::

"Too late, Morton has moved Huntress out of the hospital. The doctor in charge told me it was a few minutes ago. An orange ambulance, number 3455."

::When? Where?::

"A few minutes ago, I'm trying to find them."

::I'll try to locate them using my system.::

"Right."


	11. Madness

Batman was her monster. He frightened her more than anyone else she knew because he moved her more than anyone else she knew. She was grateful everyday for what he did for the city, but she never approved of the way he did it. He was childish and stubborn in his anger… like Helena. He told her once she was like a mother to him, she told him once to keep working toward peace in this city and she'd keep working toward peace in his heart."

The ambulance stopped suddenly. Leslie prepared her things to move out. The door opened and she stepped down, helped by two policemen. She looked around. It was an old storage building with no windows. The place was dark and unfamiliar. This wasn't Arkham.

"Take her to the cell," Morton ordered getting out of his car.

Leslie walked toward him while his men moved the unconscious young woman out of the ambulance.

"What place is this?" she asked him.

"A safe one." He took his hand to his head. His headache was bothering him again. "Move her far from me."

She looked him with distrust, "Where are we, officer?"

"Dr. Tomkins," Morton said, rubbing his temples, "I need to explain this in peace."

"This is not Arkham."

"I know. I can answer all of your questions, if you'll follow me."

The old doctor looked at the men moving the stretcher on which Huntress was lying.

"Don't worry about her," Morton said, "they are going to put her in her cell."

"Cell?"

Morton smiled slightly and opened a door. "Please, I'll explain while over coffee."

Leslie nodded and followed him, it was best.

They walked inside a long corridor and entered in a lab with many computers; she looked around amazed. The place was incredible. Malcon stood up in the middle of the room.

"Why are you so interested in her?" he asked, taking some papers from a desk.

Leslie crossed her arms, years working with the dark crime-fighters had given her enough experience to know when to lie, and lie well. "I have been working with the police for many years. And I have never had seen a case like this, where the criminal is shot in her back and the police don't let her recover. She may be a criminal, but she's still a human being."

"Don't be so sure, doctor. I researched your profile." He checked the papers in his hands. "Very impressive, you have a great record as one of the most prestigious medical doctors in the city."

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I'm working for the Secret Service. Please sit down." He extended his arm toward a chair. "She is not human, she is a creature."

"What?"

"Nobody believed me when I said "they" existed. They are freaks, nobody knows from where they came. But they are here. They can do things that no one should be able to do. They can fly or transform themselves into fire, ice; everyone has a different ability."

"Are you talking about super-powers?"

Morton went toward a table and prepared two mugs of coffee. "Yes, they are like a pest. They are trying to take all our space; they are growing, filling our city, working our jobs, taking our places." He pressed a button and, on a screen, images of meta-humans doing incredible things appeared.

Leslie watched it in silence; she knew she was in a mad house, she needed to be careful if she wanted help her child and save her life. "Where did you get that?"

"I captured some of them. We are doing experiments." Morton gave her the mug of coffee and sat down in front of her. He turned off the TV.

"Experiments?"

"The human race will disappear if we don't stop them in time. I know where to find them because every time I'm near one of them my head hurts like hell; and for some unknown reason I take their abilities; I can do the things they do. I hate that, I want to be normal again. And the only way is getting rid of all of them."

"Kill them? It's murder."

"No, because they are not humans, they are just things. So, you are not killing human beings. We want your help, the government would be extrememly grateful if you help us."

"What kind of help?" Leslie tried to look interested in the topic, but, in reality, she was scared…scared for her little monster.

"We are working to find a way to finish them before it's too late for us," Morton explained.

"Killing them? I don't…"

"No, no, that is very slow way and as you say, "inhumane". There are thousands. I'm thinking of a better way. I discovered their blood cells are different, their organism. We are doing experiments with their blood now. The idea is create a serum to prevent reproduction in females. Look." He stood up and pressed a key on a computer.

Two DNA 3D models appeared on the computer screen. Leslie took her eyeglasses and put them on.

"The first one is from a human being, the second one is from one of them," Morton explained. "As you can see, their DNA is really amazing."

"I see."

"We are looking for a serum to sterilize females."

"What?" the old doctor couldn't believe what was she hearing.

"It's a most "humane" way to finish them. We almost have the formula ready. We would be very honored if you help us to finish it. There is something that has been stopping us."

"Who is she?"

"One of them, but she's the most dangerous of all. She surrounds the city by night, and says is helping to keep the order. I know that because my ex-partner told me. Can you imagine it? Them ruling our city? That's insane. I fought with her once, I almost killed her, but her friends stopped me in time." Morton looked at Leslie, "She will be a good test subject."

"Are you going to experiment with her?"

"She is a female, right?"

"Why did you shoot her? Wouldn't it have been better to try…?" Leslie tried to control herself.

"You don't know her power," Morton interrupted. "I never asked them to hurt her badly, just enough to prevent her from escaping. But well… it was a little mistake. She will recover, no?"

"Yes." The doctor bit her tongue. She wanted to kick his ass.

"If we find the formula, we will save the world, we will sterilize all the women and end this threat. Do you understand the importance of all this? Will you help us?" Morton asked hopefully.

Leslie was really concerned now. "Right, I can do it." Government, or not, supporting that man, Morton was definitely insane. She needed to help those people kidnapped by him, she needed to think what to do, and help Huntress to recover. "If you are right, these people are dangerous, we can't expose ourselves to them. Yes, yes, let me help you."

"Oh, I'll tell my assistant to show you all of our investigations. Just one other thing, while this project is going on… you need to stay with us, you can't go out."

"Why not?"

"National security. I can provide you with clothes and everything you need. All right?"

"All right." She didn't have any other option.

"Good." He picked up a radio. "Tell Doctor Moore that Dr. Leslie Tomkins will help him. She is now in charge of the project."

After her talk with Morton, the guards took Leslie inside Huntress' cell; they had installed her with all the sophisticated equipment of the hospital. She was lying chained on a mattress, behind a strong plastic wall. Many modern computers and systems were next to a wall and on a desk. A man with a doctor's coat was examining the unconscious crime fighter; he was old, and his hair was a mess, she wondered if he knew what a brush was. Big eyeglasses covered almost all of his face, the man was blind as a bat She watched him with distrust; it disgusted her that he was touching her little girl. She coughed.

The man turned. "Are you Doctor Tomkins?" he asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "And you are…?"

"Oh, Dr. James Moore." He made a sign to the guard at the door and he opened it. "Please come in." He went to her, anxiously, he had heard about her; he admired her. She was one of the most prestigious doctors in the country. He shook her hand. "It's an honor, I can't believe this! You are a legend!"

"Oh, thanks so much." She walked inside the cell.

He stood up next to Huntress, showing his excitement. "She exists! Is it not incredible?"

"What?" Leslie asked.

"Her! Didn't Claude tell you?"

"About meta-humans and those things?"

"Yes. Did you ever hear stories about a woman, covered by the night, patrolling the city?"

"What?" They knew so much about Huntress; things were really bad.

Moore caressed Huntress' arm. "She is one of the creatures. She is prefect. I heard many stories about her and Morton confirmed it; but no one had seen her; no one could tell anything about her. And now she is here. She is beautiful." He touched her lips with his finger. Leslie wanted to kick that man's ass and rip off his finger. "We can do marvelous things with her."

"Did you know about meta-humans or did he tell you?"

"Nobody believed me when I said "they" existed," Dr. Moore explained, as he moved his hand toward the brunette's neck. He tried to move it down when he suddenly felt Leslie's hand grabbing his wrist firmly. He raised his face and found a cold glare.

"I want to know more about them," Leslie said. "Please."

He stepped back and walked outside the cell. The guard opened the door. Leslie followed him.

"No one knows from where they come," the man said, walking toward his desk. "We only know they appeared a few years ago. Their population had increased in the last couple of years. We are worried about that. Morton knew about them, but he had my problem, nobody believed him. I met him months ago. He was seriously injured, he fell off a building; the police brought him to me as dead to my forensics lab, but he was alive. He asked me not tell anyone. He told me he was fighting with her; I never reported that he was alive."

Something was wrong. He had told her he was working for the police. She needed to be more careful.

"Morton wants to know who they are, how to stop them." The doctor showed her some notes, Leslie read them carefully. "I have been doing experiments, I was trying to find the way. So we are working on two formulas, on that destroys their meta-cells and another one that would sterilize females. In both cases, we can infect with a virus."

"A virus?"

"Yes, but I still need to make a few changes."

Leslie noticed they had been working very hard, analyzing the DNA of meta-humans. "May I analyze it? Maybe I could help you."

"Sure."


	12. Face to face

Huntress woke up; she felt too dazed and stunned, it was like being inside a bubble under the water. She felt something annoying in her nose, small tubes were connected in her nostrils helping her to breathe. Opening her eyes slightly, she noticed she was inside a strange room. She tried, unsuccessfully, to recognize the place; the walls were plastic. It was not the Clocktower or her apartment. The nasty noise of the heart monitor filled the place.

She tried to move, but a sharp pain in her leg made Huntress grunt involuntary. Her arm was in a sling. And her left arm was chained to the bed. Why was she chained, where was she? She moved slightly. The doctor heard her movement.

"She is awake!" he said, turning his head to see her, "Marvelous!" He walked toward the cell and, pressing some buttons, opened the door. Leslie followed him.

He looked at her, fascinated. He checked her pulse. "Hi beautiful, don't worry, you are home."

Huntress groggily tried to focus on the person that was talking to her.

Leslie moved next to him. "Doctor, would you do me a favor?"

"Yes, sure."

"She needs another serum bag, that one is almost empty. Do you have one?"

He looked at the bag. It was true. "Yes, yes, in my office. I'll be right back." He moved outside the cell. She waited until he was out, Leslie leaned over the brunette.

"It's me." The old woman took her hand and squeezed it.

"Mmm?"

"Huntress, do you know who I am?"

The brunette looked at her a few seconds in silence. "…Leslie?"

"Hi, little monster," the old doctor smiled "You scared me, really scared me. It's a good sign that you are awake. How do you feel?"

"Where am I?" the girl asked, almost in a whisper.

"Morton took you out of the hospital."

The brunette remembered suddenly what had happened. She tried to sit, but Leslie held her down.

"Easy, you are not in any condition to get up, stay calm and don't try to do anything, all right? You are seriously injured, please stay quiet. We worked very hard to not lose you; you have a pretty bad wound in your back that damaged your lung and other one in your leg."

"Shit…"

"Don't use bad words or I'll wash your mouth out." Tomkins raised her brow.

"Grumpy…" Huntress mumbled, closing her eyes. She felt terribly sick.

"Look who's talking."

"We need…to move out of here."

"I know, but we need to wait until you can recover a bit."

Huntress swallowed and looked at her. "Oracle?"

"She doesn't know where we are. I'll try to contact her as soon as I have an opportunity."

"What does he want now?"

"He said he is working for the Secret Service on a project to investigate meta-humans, but I'm sure he is lying. I told help I'd help him with his experiments, I need to buy some time. I can't move you now."

The young crime fighter winced in pain. "Hurts…"

Leslie took her cheek "What hurts you?"

"My thigh… is throbbing." She bent her leg slightly.

"Don't worry, it's normal. I'll give you something for the pain." The old doctor saw a cabinet outside. She walked outside and opened the cabinet. Inside, she found a tranquilizer and prepared a syringe.

Huntress felt uncomfortable, the tubes inside her nostrils were bothering her. She tried to move and again noticed her arm was bandaged and her wrist chained. She growled. She hated to be chained. She pulled her arm, trying to break it.

"Hey, easy!" Leslie almost shouted, walking next to her.

"Why is my arm bandaged? Why am I chained?"

"I bandaged your arm to your chest to prevent your movements from bothering you. The chains are Morton's order." Leslie removed the blankets to inject her leg. "I'll find a way to free you, just be patient."

Huntress eye's narrowed looking at the needle "Don't have pills?" she whispered, closing her eyes, she felt so tired.

"I see you still have your aversion to needles." After injecting her, Leslie covered her again. "Now…" she leaned over her and fixed her eyes on hers, "listen to me."

The girl opened her eyes again. That tone of her voice was not friendly.

Leslie knew that she couldn't ask Helena nicely. Unfortunately, Huntress was as stubborn and obstinate as her father. It didn't matter if she wanted to accept it or not. "We are trapped. He is really insane and the doctor that was with him is too. If you want us to survive, you must follow my orders: First, you don't know me, call me Doctor or Doctor Tomkins; I'll call you Huntress. We don't know each other. Understand?"

The brunette growled disapprovingly.

"I don't want growls, I want a yes, I asked: Do you get it?"

She only accepted orders from three people, and Leslie was one of them. "… right."

"Second, stay calm and don't try anything stupid."

Huntress nodded, she was too weak to argue. "Could you take this tube out of my nose?" she asked.

Leslie smiled and went to the IV bag remove it. "No, you are in intensive care now. If you are connected to all this sophisticated and expensive equipment, it's because I want to see your ass out of here as fast as possible, so don't screw up all my work."

Doctor Moore walked inside the cell. "Here is the IV." He looked at the brunette and gave Tomkins the bag. "How is she?"

"How would you feel if an asshole shot you in the back?" Leslie smirked.

Huntress glared at him. She didn't like that man. She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.

"Oh, I hope we can begin to work on her soon." He tried to touch the girl's face.

Leslie knew it was best to avoid problems. She took his hand a second before he touched her. "I just gave her a sedative, it's better to let her sleep."

"Oh.."

"I'm interested in starting the analysis of your notes. Could we work on it?"

"Yes. Please. I have them in the computer system. Follow me."

Leslie followed him out of the room where she had been talking with Morton. Morton watched them go, he grinned and walked inside the cell. He had her, finally. She would help him to find a way to finish with all those freaky people.

Leslie was not stupid, she knew she had given her a strong dose of drugs to help her endure the pain and to keep her quiet. In some way she was grateful for it, knowing that, in all her senses, Huntress would try to escape, regardless of her physical condition and maybe it would make things worse. Morton had her and it was hard to accept, but she wasn't in any position to try to escape. She could wait and try to recover before doing something her own way.

Her senses turned on. She opened her eyes and discovered him smiling. He stood at the edge of the bed. She tried to sit but the pain in her back made her grunt and kept her from moving.

"I see you are uncomfortable." Morton smirked, his eyes changed in cat form.

She felt a chill run up her spine, she knew she was at a disadvantage.

"Come on, Huntress, you know that I couldn't catch you by asking you to come with me. I needed be a bit rough. It's not my fault, you aren't exactly… 'easy'."

Huntress glared at him.

Morton walked next to her. "After our last encounter, I understood that I would never finish if I tried to kill your freak family one by one to avoid my headaches. It would take me all my life."

"We are not freaks." She clenched her teeth.

"You are the abnormal one, not me."

"May I remind you that you are like me?" She smiled evilly "You are one of us."

He tried to contain his fury, jaw clenched. He was a normal human, he was, she was lying. "Never say that again." He growled.

"You are worst than us," Huntress burned her cat pupils into his, "you steal our abilities and use them to kill. You are a killer, not us."

He was not a freak; he had hated himself since the first time he had discovered them because they were the ones that had ruined his life. He would be normal only when the last of them were underground. Blinded with anger, he put his hand on her throat. "Shut up!"

"Do your friends know who you really are? Did you tell them that you killed those innocent people?"

He tried to slap her, but she breaked the chain and stopped his hand in mid air; she used it to hit him on his nose roughly. He stepped back.

Huntress knew she was in trouble, she pulled the breather from her nose and rolled on the mattress to the other side, pulling the wires and cables connected to her. It was a bad idea to try to stand up less than twenty four hours after a surgery; her legs couldn't support her own weight and she hit the ground hard. The support of the IV in her arm fell, creating a loud noise. She grunted, clenching her teeth and holding her leg.

Morton grabbed his nose between his hands, he looked and saw they were bloody, she had broken his nose. "Bitch!" He walked furiously toward her.

Huntress was trying to stand up, but with her right arm wrapped and her wounds, she didn't have much mobility. Suddenly, she felt his hand on the back of her neck; Morton pushed her hard against the floor. She tried to move, but he grabbed the wrist of her free arm and twisted it back, putting his knee over her injured thigh. She cried and kept still to prevent him from hurting her more. He had moved very fast.

"Want to play rough?" He grinned, pressing his knee into her leg. Huntress bit her lip and tried to free herself unsuccessfully. Morton laughed and leaned over her. "I'm stronger now, strong like you. You couldn't defeat me when you were uninjured, do you think it's good try to do it now?"

She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes; that insane man was hurting her.

"No, it was you and your damn freak race. I'm going to finish off all of you." He pressed his knee into her leg even harder.

She growled and struggled, unsuccessfully; it was really painful.

"Are you okay, sir?" The main door opened and two security guards appeared pointing at her with their rifles. They had walked inside after hearing the noises inside the cell.

"Yes," Morton said. "I'm okay. This bitch tried to attack me.". He released her and stood up, cleaning his nose.

Huntress moaned in pain holding her leg. She felt the bandage was wet, a warm wetness, that asshole had opened her wound. Dr. Moore walked inside the room at that moment, he looked at the movement inside the cell.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Where is Tomkins?" Morton looked at him furiously, walking outside the cell.

"At the computer, working on the antidote, I came here for some notes. What happened?"

"Clean up the mess that she made and keep her quiet." Morton faced him.

Moore looked, frightened by his cat eyes. "W...what?"

"Help those men to put her in her place and keep her quiet. I don't want her touching me again! Understand?"

Dr. Moore nodded.

"Right," he looked at the guard at the door, "you, take Dr. Thomkins to her bedroom. She needs rest and I don't want her alone at the computers. Go!" Morton went to his office. He needed to finish his plan, he knew it was not an easy one and he would need more help.

* * *

Barbara had many maps opened on her screen. She pressed some keys and looked at them again, one by one. She had been examining all the maps of New Gotham, unsuccessfully. She couldn't avoid feeling nervous. Morton wasn't a sane person; well, what criminal and killer like him was sane? She didn't yet understand yet why Morton had taken Leslie with him? Why had Leslie had gone and not called or left her a message beforehand? Maybe she still thought Morton was a cop. She hoped she would be okay, she prayed she would be okay. She knew he didn't want kill to Huntress… soon, but she wasn't sure about her old friend.

Alfred arrived with a tray of tea. "Have anything?"

"No, I'm just checking the streets near the place where the ambulance was found. Police checked all the buildings five blocks around and found nothing."

"Do you think they moved her in another car?" Dinah asked, sitting next to her in front of another computer.

"I don't think so, but… I don't see any other way to explain how they disappeared. If he moved them out of the city, I don't have any idea where they would be. Reese is looking too, unsuccessfully. Wait a second…." She typed at the keyboard.

"Something wrong?" Alfred raised his brow.

"I'll create a map. I'll mark the places where the bodies were found and the place where the ambulance disappeared. Maybe it will provide a clue." Barbara knew she needed to move fast; she didn't know how much time she had to find Leslie and Helena. "Dinah, try to find out where the abductions took place, I want to mark those on here too."

"Right."

Barbara pressed the search button and leaned back, waiting.


	13. The plan

Leslie hadn't slept all night and the previous hours had been extremely tense. Those few hours that she had slept had helped her to feel much better. After taking a bath, she walked toward Huntress' cell. Dr. Moore intercepted her on her way.

"Dr. Tomkins, I would like you to come with me."

She followed him to a lower floor. There was a metallic door and two guards in front of it. They opened the door and they walked inside. It was a large room, and there were many cells. Ther was a man in each one. They were lying on metallic beds with their eyes closed.

"Why are they jail?" she asked, horrified.

"They are things. We need to protect ourselves from them. "

"Are they dead?" She stood in front of one of the cells, looking inside.

"No, we keep them drugged to avoid problems, that way I can take samples or do experiments… We have failed a few times." Moore explained.

"What does that means?"

"I'm telling you not to worry if, during you experiments, one of them dies, it happens some times."

Leslie felt sick, really sick; these men were insane. She rubbed her eyes; she needed to control herself to prevent them from discovering her.

"We used their blood and other samples to do our experiments. You can use them freely." Moore said proudly.

"I'll do it, as soon as I finish with my notes in your computer."

"Sure, want to go there?"

"Yes, yes… but I'd like to check the woman first." Leslie sighed, rubbing her nose. She felt nervous. It was one thing to help crime fighters, it was quite another being involved in a case surrounded by mad people.

"All right. See you in my office in ten minutes." Moore smiled.

Leslie nodded. Both walked outside the room. A few seconds later, she was in front of the room where the brunette was; the guard let her walk in, and another, inside, opened the door of the small cell. Huntress seemed to be sleeping.

Standing up next to her, she checked her pulse and her heart rhythm. Her breathing was much better. Knowing her healing abilities, she was sure she would remove the equipment the next day.

The girl move slightly. Leslie smiled and brushed her hair back, it was a mess, and she knew she liked to be tidy. "Good, you are much better now."

The girl moved restlessly and half opened her eyes trying to focus on her. Leslie moved her head back, she didn't like that look. The young woman blinked; she moved her head to the other side and closed her eyes.

"Huntress?" she asked, but the girl kept remained still. She took her chin with her hand and moved her face to hers. "Huntress, I'm talking to you."

Huntress looked at her, dazed, Leslie noticed her glassy pupils, she seemed be in another world. Leslie clapped her checks softly. "What happened to you?" The brunette just closed her eyes again. Leslie, annoyed, took out her flashlight and examined her eyes. "Huntress, do you know who I am?" she asked.

The brunette closed her eyelids again; she was completely out of it. Leslie felt the anger growing inside her. "Dammit!" Furiously she hit the cell wall. "Guard, open the door! I want to see Dr. Moore now!"

Moore was signing some papers in his office. Leslie stormed inside the office.

"Why did you drug her?" she yelled at him.

"Excuse me?" He raised his head, surprised.

"You drugged her, why?" She stood up in front of the desk. "She is totally lost!"

"She was in pain."

"Doctor, I'm not stupid." She crossed her arms. "One thing is painkillers and it's quite another to drug a person to knock her out. You drugged her, why?"

He leaned back in his chair. "Morton ordered it."

"What?"

"He ordered it; he wanted us to keep her out with drugs." He handed Leslie a note.

Leslie took it and read it carefully. "What is this guy thinking?"

"She attacked him," Dr. Moore explained.

"What?" Leslie couldn't believe his words. "How? She is still recovering! She can't stand up! She was in surgery twenty four hours ago!"

"It was today at midday, he went to visit her and she attacked him. She broke his nose. When the guards walked inside, he had her against the floor."

Leslie grumbled, annoyed, damn girl. Why she had done that? She had asked her to stay quiet.

"We need to work on the serum." He crossed his arms.

"Right, right. " Leslie nodded and walked toward the computer. "Let's get to work." She needed to find a way to send Oracle a message.

* * *

"How could he survive?" Dinah asked, seated at one of the computers, "We saw him die." She felt angry inside, sad; she wanted to find Helena as soon as possible, but the guy had just disappeared.

"That's the question that has been in my head all day," Barbara said distractedly, noting on her screen the places, days and hours, the dead bodies that had been found and where the kidnappings had been.

"I found the death certificate."

"Death certificate?" the red head removed her eyeglasses and turned her head to look at the blonde.

"I have it here."

"Wait a second…" Barbara wheeled toward Dinah. She looked at the document that her protégé had opened. Taking the mouse, she moved the scroll bar down, reading carefully.

"What?" the blonde asked.

The red head didn't respond, she typed a name and waited a few seconds.

"Doctor Moore, he worked for the police department for twenty five years and then he just quit," Barbara mumbled.

"Who is he?" Dinah asked.

"The doctor that signed the certificate."

"Oh… Something interesting in his profile?"

"He quit and he was two years from retirement, it's strange. Why would he quit before his retirement? Do some research about him, Dinah."

"What do you need?"

"Everything about him, maybe we need to visit him." She wheeled toward her monitor again.

Dinah sighed. She couldn't hide her frustration. "How do you do it?" she asked her mentor.

"How do I do what?"

"How can you think with such a cool head?"

"I don't understand." Barbara raised her brow and turned her chair to the teen.

"When my mother was kidnapped by those man," Dinah said, lowering her head, "I felt broken. I was dying inside. I couldn't think… and… now, Helena is lost, in the hands of a lunatic… and I see you… and I don't understand how you do it. I try, but I can't."

Barbara looked at her a few seconds in silence. "Helena has been my company all these years; she made me smile again; she pushed me to fight, to keep going. She is my best friend." She felt a knot in her throat, "I'm dying inside, Dinah, I feel broken. But I can't stop, because I want her back." She slowly turned to work at her monitor. "We need to visit Dr. Moore, Dinah."

The teen didn't know what to say. It had been a bad question at a bad moment. She bit her lip. "Right."

* * *

Helena's eyes opened groggily. She had lost all sense of time; they had kept her drugged since her fight with Morton. She felt someone moving her slowly until she rested on her side. Immediately, hands began to remove her bandages on her back and arm. It was not Leslie, the hands were calloused and rough. She tried to move, but he held her easily.

"My God! It's amazing… your wound is closing!. You were shot only two days ago," he said, examining her wounds.

"Asshole", the brunette thought, he was lucky, the drugs kept her really numb. Where was Leslie? She felt him doing something to her. He was bandaging her back, he said things to her, but she didn't understand well what he was saying, and she didn't care. She closed her eyes.

Maybe she had fallen asleep a few minutes, the next time she woke up, the man was standing up next to her, preparing a syringe. "We can do marvelous things with you." He smiled cleaning her arm with some alcohol and cotton.

She pulled her arm back, but he took it again. "Oh dear, don't worry, this won't hurt." The doctor held her wrist down. "You are amazing, I have been analyzing your tests and it's incredible. It's better to keep you calm with this."

That was a drug, no way, she tried to pull her arm again, but he was stronger than she. "No please..." she mumbled.

"Easy," he said.

The door of the cell opened. "Doctor Moore." Leslie walked inside, reading some notes.

"Yes?"

"Let me talk with her before you do that. I have some questions for her."

"Questions?"

Helena sighed with relief hearing her friend's voice.

"You wrote here they have a special DNA composition, I want to know if she knows it." She removed her eyeglasses, "Have you asked them if they know about their differences?"

"Uh…" he shook his head, "no."

"Right, this will take me just a few minutes, give me the syringe and I'll drug her as soon as I finish."

"All right." He gave it to her. "She is amazing, her wound is healing incredibly fast."

"Would be, your test says it's possible. Would you help me?"

"How?"

Leslie gave him a cd and a piece of paper "Send this DNA work that I did to this email as an attachment. My assistant will check it with my new software and send it back. It will help us and do this job more quickly."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous?" the doctor asked.

"Nah, she doesn't know anything about chemicals, she just knows how run the program. I'm sure than when she sends the results back, we will be very near to the serum that you have been looking for."

"Oh, excellent." He walked outside the cell.

Leslie kept writing some notes in her notebook until the man exited the room. She put her notebook to the side.

"You can't complain, I was here on time. Are you okay?"

Helena nodded her head.

She checked her pupils. "Mmm… you are pretty drugged."

"Not fun…" the brunette growled.

"I'm trying to mess up all the work and notes of this guy on his computer. They are trying to screw up the DNA of all metas. I sent Oracle a message, I hope she will read it soon."

Leslie checked her wounds; "You are much better, thanks of God. I hope you can stand up soon. We need to move out of here." She began to remove the nasty breather in Huntress' nose and the IV connected to her arm.

"Good…" the brunette mumbled.

"I knew you would love it. I'm going to leave your arm wrapped so your movements won't hurt you." Leslie went toward a table and took the syringe that Moore had left there. She turned her back to Huntress; the brunette closed her eyes and opened them abruptly when she felt the coldness of wet cotton on her arm. Leslie was in front of her with a syringe in one of her hands. She pulled her arm back, she was not going to let her drug her more.

"Huntress…" Leslie glared at her.

"No way…"

Leslie rolled her eyes and took her arm. "Stay quiet!"

"No, please…" Huntress struggled.

Leslie pressed her wrist down and leaned over her. "I need them to think I keep you drugged. Stay quiet if you don't want me to kick your ass!"

"What's… that?" She looked at the syringe, afraid.

"…Vitamins. I put the other syringe inside my pocket."

"You scared me."

"You are a baby," Leslie grumbled, burying the needle in the girl's arm.


	14. Bird Trap

Night and late. Really late. He had been working late. He wanted to finish the project as soon as possible and with Leslie Tomkins' help, he knew they could finish it soon. He was outside the old building where he had been living the last thirty years. He finally found his keys. A hand grabbed his wrist, he turned. A blonde girl was standing next to him.

"I want to talk with you," Dinah said.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Do you remember Claude Morton?"

"Who?" He blinked.

"You signed his death certificate a few months ago."

"I don't know what are you talking about," Moore turned his back.

Dinah stood up next to him. "Claude Mordon, police officer. He fell off a building. Do you remember him?"

"Girl, go play at your house, it's late." He opened the door.

The door closed suddenly and an invisible force pushed his back against it.

"I asked a question," she said. "Claude Morton is alive, why did you sign his death certificate?"

::You are doing pretty well.:: Oracle said into the comm. Dinah smiled.

The man looked her at her, scared. She was one of them, she was surely looking for her partner. "He is dead."

"He is not dead." Dinah glared at him.

He tried to hit her but she ducked and pushed him harder against the door. She took him by his lapel with both hands. "You are not nice. I know you quit. Why? You were going to be retirde in just a few years more."

"I was tired of that work. You don't have an idea how nasty it is."

::Ask him about the records.:: the red head said through the comm.

"What about the records? Personal objects, clothes?"

"It's all at the police station," Dr. Moore mumbled, sweating.

"Did you see anything unusual?"

"No, he was out cold, dead."

Dinah used her mind power and raised him a few meters off the floor.

"No!" he yelled, "Let me go! Let me go!"

"He is lying." Dinah sighed. She heard Oracle typing at her keyboard.

::Why?::

"He is sweating so much." She cleaned her hands on her coat, "and he tried to hit me. Why he would try to hit me if I am only asking?"

::You learn fast. I'll call Reese, he can some research in the Police files. Ask him about the autopsy.::

"Did you do the autopsy?"

"We didn't do it. He was a police office. Sometime we don't do it on policemen. We knew it had been an accident."

"So, you didn't do the autopsy."

"No," Moore said, scared. "I just left him in the cabinet inside a plastic bag and filled out the official forms.

Oracle sighed, ::Let him go. Reese will check what's he saying. If he is lying, we can visit him again.::

"Right." Dinah let him fall to the floor, "Don't lie to me or you will see me soon." She walked down the street.

::You did very well:: Barbara said.

"Really? I was nervous, it's the first time I've been alone."

::You did it, okay… We need to find Reese now…::

"Got it."

Alfred heard a beep of the monitor where the red head had been working a few seconds ago. "You've got email Miss Barbara."

"I'll check it later." The red head typed at the keyboard. "I'm finishing creating this map."

"Something wrong?"

"I'm doing an experiment, I'm marking where the dead bodies were found and where the kidnappings were. And where the van was found."

"Maybe in the same area?"

"Exactly. If I'm right, he has been operating in the same zone."

"Interesting."

"One of them is following me!" Moore said to Morton on his phone. He looked through his window nervously while he was packing. "She asked me so much about you, I can't stay here any longer."

::Blonde? Maybe Reese has more weird friends than I thought…. I need you to go see him::

"What?"

::Pack your things and bring him to me, understand?::

"I don't like this."

::Just do what I tell you!!: Morton yelled into the phone.

Moore hung up and, closing his suitcase, he exited his house.

Reese was preparing a cup of coffee. He was still worried for his friend. He had been looking for clues, unsuccessfully. He had returned just to change his clothes. The door bell rang, calling his attention. He put his coffee on the table and opened the door. Surprised, he saw the young blonde friend of Huntress standing in the doorway. She smiled.

"Dinah?" he frowned and looked around.

She putt her hands inside the pockets of her coat.

"Yes, it's me." She looked around too. "Something wrong?"

"It's just… why did you ring the bell?"

"Why?" Dinah raised her brow, that was a strange question "Well, people rings door bells, right?"

"Huntress never does this," Reese said.

"Huntress is not exactly polite."

"Yes, true, come in." He closed the door after Dinah walked inside. "What happened?"

"I went to see Dr. Moore."

"Who is he?"

"He's the guy that signed Morton's death certificate. He was in forensics."

"Oh yes, I remember him…."

"He said the police asked him not to do the autopsy."

"Sometimes that happens," Reese explained. "It's not unusual."

"And he told me he was dead." Dinah sighed. "But he is not dead, you saw him."

Reese walked toward the door. "I need to go to my office."

"Why?"

"Someone must have seen him alive. We will check the files at the police station to know who was in charge of his burial. Someone must have known what was happening."

"Right, we'll call you later." Dinah followed him.

"Okay, isn't it too late for you to being walking alone on the streets?"

"I drive." She smiled.

"You drive and Huntress walks. Aren't you too young to have license?" Reese asked.

"I don't have a license."

"That's illegal." He stood up and faced her.

"Would you prefer that I walk alone in the streets at this hour?"

She had trapped him. He rolled his eyes and walked to his car. "You two make me crazy."

Dinah laughed and walked down the street. "Oracle, Reese is going to check his files. We need to find out who was the man that discovered Morton was alive."

::Good idea, maybe he can give us a lead to figure out where he is now.::

"See you in a few." Dinah continued to walk down the street. When she turned the corner, a strong arm wrapped around her neck. A fast hand buried a needle in her arm. She struggled and pushed the person back. The man hit the wall, but he didn't release her. She bent down and the man rolled over her, hitting the ground roughly with his back. Dinah took her hand to her arm. The syringe was still buried in her skin. Damn. It was empty. Her mind was immediately foggy. She stepped back and fell on one knee.

"I'm sorry, girl," Dr. Moore said, "but you are one of them."

The blonde's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I can't let you and your friends screw up all my work." The doctor stood up and looked around. After she had left Reese, he had followed her. He took her by her armpits and dragged the girl to his vehicle.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Morton yelled at Dr. Moore. They were arguing inside a garage.

"I went to see Detective Reese, she was with him!"

"I told you bring Reese, not her!" He went toward Moore's car and opened the back door. He looked at the girl.

"I'm sure she will tell us who is looking for Huntress," Moore explained, following him. "We need to know who is following us."

Morton looked at the girl. He recognized her. "Yes, she is one of her friends. I have an idea, help me with her."


	15. Confrontation

Huntress moved to her side slowly, her back itched. It was wonderful to breathe without the damn breather. She was feeling much better. Being dazed by drugs was a nasty thing. Thankfully Leslie had given her a break, interrupting Doctor Moore's injections. She still felt still numb, but not totally lost and she could think more clearly.

"Huntress."

Morton. It was his voice. What the hell did he want now?

"Huntress, look who came to see you."

She didn't like his tone. She slowly turned her head and froze.

"Huntress, do you know who she is?" Morton smirked, he had Dinah, unconscious, between his arms.

Her eyes turned feline, she sat up in the bed; she didn't feet the pain in her back and leg with her abrupt movement. She was wearing a medical robe. "What did you do to her?" she grumbled.

"My friend found her asking too many questions." Morton smiled. "So he invited her to come visit us."

Huntress stood up slowly. She felt like the floor was moving under her feet. "Let her go."

"Mmmm…" Mortons said, surprised, "I see drugs don't stop you, right? You need to use something stronger on her," he told Moore.

Kill.

She wanted to kill him. Screw Oracle's speeches. She was just a teen, she was just a kid. "Don't taunt me, Morton…" She put her hands on the strong plastic wall;

Dr. Moore walked inside the room; he watched the brunette in surprise. "Amazing."

"I thought you drugged her," Morton said.

"I did…"

Morton looked at Huntress "Do you remember the serum that we were preparing to prevent your reproduction? We are going to test it on her."

"Don't try to hurt her." The brunette glared at him.

"Why not? Who can stop me? But maybe I won't do anything, if you tell me who is looking for you. Do you work with more meta-humans like your friend? Tell me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Moore put a needle to the neck of the unconscious teen.

"Yes, you do." Morton smirked, "Speak or she is dead."

Huntress hit the plastic wall angrily. "Don't touch her!"

"So tell me."

She looked around; her mind was still dazed, she needed to get out of there; she needed to stop them before they could hurt Dinah. She moved her arm back slowly and grabbed the table where the heart monitor was.

"So Huntress? What do you say? Your time is almost up."

Using all her strength, she took the table and rolled it against the plastic wall, cracking it. Morton and Moore stepped back, surprised. Huntress moved the table back and crashed it against the wall again, finally breaking it.

Morton released Dinah and jumped back to avoid a heavy computer from falling on him.

"Don't touch her, I said," the brunette shouted, supporting herself on the frame. Her back hurt with the rough movement, but it didn't matter to her

The guards opened the door. Morton stopped them with his hand, "The brave girl is up and she's mine." He laughed. "Huntress, have you noticed that I don't have anymore headaches? It's a new serum we created."

"It's a shame the serum doesn't help your sick mind." The young crime fighter fixed her eyes on his and walked toward him, limping. She tried to focus, she still felt the floor moving under her.

"You amaze me… you can stand up. Maybe we can finish the fight that was interrupted by your friends months ago."

"Any time."

"Good," he walked toward her. His eyes changed to those of a cat.

She felt a shiver down her back. Her body tensed, she prepared to attack; she knew she was at a disadvantage, but she didn't have any other option. He threw a kick at her that she stopped by raising her arm. She stepped back and almost fell; her leg was not supporting her well.

"Quick reflexes." Morton smirked, "But do you think you can be fast enough for me?"

Barbara finally had some time and opened her email to read it. It was full, she began to check them one by one. Suddenly, her eyes stopped. "Leslie…" she mumbled. She opened it and read… it was a mail asking her "assistant" to do run some tests of samples and analyses attached. She opened it.

There were some medical terms about blood composition and a kind of serum. "There must be a message here,"she said to herself and began to type at the computer.

Morton attacked her; Huntress ducked and punched him, but it was if he knew what was she was thinking. He stopped all her blows. Making a fast turn, he kicked her wounded leg with his leg. The brunette cried, bending down and holding her thigh.

He stepped back, amused, and began to circle her. "Come on, don't disappoint me."

He never saw it coming, suddenly something just hit his feet and he fell backwards. Helena stood up limping; she had moved quickly and swept him with her good leg and supporting herself with her arms.

"Bad move." Morton grumbled, standing up, "I should warn you, now I can choose."

"Choose what?"

"Choose which meta powers I can use against you." Morton raised his hand toward her.

Huntress felt a powerful force push her back. She crashed against a table that broke under her weight. She grunted, her back was on fire; she glared at him; the moron had stolen Dinah's powers.

Morton smiled. "It's fun time."

She bit her lip and turned to stand up. Huntress felt strong hands around her throat; but he was far away smiling. Some invisible force lifted her off the floor; he was using Dinah's mind powers, she tried to stretch her feet so she wouldn't lose the support of the floor.

"It's amazing, the things your friend can do." Morton went to her, enjoying the new power he had. "Have you ever felt her strength?"

Huntress gasped, trying to breathe. Using his mind, he slammed her against the wall. She fell heavily to the floor.

"Maybe you need to learn that it's a terrible mistake to challenge me." His eyes changed to feline form.

She raised her eyes and saw him over her. She kicked him and Morton stepped back. She stood up, supporting her weight on just one leg.

"You need to learn." He smirked.

She tried to smash her fist in his face, but he ducked and kicked her wounded leg. She lost her balance and hit the ground. He leaned over and smashed his fist against her jaw; taking her by the neck of her shirt, he raised her easily and threw her across the room. She hit the stretcher where she had been laying, breaking it. The pain paralyzed her; she arched her back, feeling that she had broken it.

"You like to play rough, no?" Morton shouted, "Let's play." He walked to her and easily raised her off the floor again.

"You will pay." She growled at him.

"And who is going to stop me? You?" He punched her hard in her gut.

* * *

Leslie was sending another email through the computer to Oracle. She needed her help soon. She didn't have any idea as to where they were and Morton was becoming impatient. Huntress wasn't helping so much. She heard the noise of glass breaking. She turned her head, the brunette came to her mind immediately. She sent the message and closed the window on the computer. She walked as fast as she could toward Huntress' cell.

Another loud noise was heard in the corridor. More glass breaking. She ran. The door of the cell was open. In the doorway, a guard looked inside. She pushed him and walked inside at the time that Morton sent Huntress to the floor with a hard blow on her face.

Stop!" Leslie yelled, running toward him.

The brunette, stunned, looked at Morton over her and tried to avoid the next blow, but his fist hit her on the side of her head. Huntress saw stars and almost lost consciousness. He raised her by her shirt lapel and moved his hand back to hit her again.


	16. My angel again

**Thank you for all your comments and post... I really love it! Merry Christams to all!!!!**

* * *

"I said stop!" Leslie grabbed his wrist.

Morton pulled her back. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Only cowards hit women." The old doctor faced him, "She is injured! What do you think you're doing?"

"Go away!"

"No!" Leslie pulled his arm. "Let her go!"

He clenched his jaws and released the brunette, she fell limply to the floor. Morton pointed at Leslie with his finger. "Big mistake trying to challenge me!"

"Damn! She can't defend herself!" the doctor put herself between him and Huntress, who was on the floor, stunned.

"She is a damn thing!" Morton shouted.

"That doesn't justify you acting like a coward!"

"Maybe you don't understand, doctor," Morton faced her, "She is not human."

"That does not justify treating her this way!" Leslie noticed at that moment that Dinah was laying unconscious on the other side of the room. She was Oracle's other protégé. That was bad. "And her?" Leslie asked.

"Another stupid freak." He cleaned his lip.

Huntress tried to stand up, everything was confused in her mind.

"Stay calm, don't move…"Leslie noticed her back was bleeding and held her down.

"Take the blonde to the cell!" Morton shouted at Moore. "Dr. Tomkins, I warn you: I want that formula fast. The government is asking for it."

"The government agrees to treat these people like animals?" Leslie raised her head and glared at him.

"Doctor, we need to stop them before they kill us. We don't have time. We need to start the test this weekend, and now it's even better. We have two females."

"And what if I refuse to help you?"

He hesitated a few seconds. He couldn't let her have doubt about him; he needed her. "You can go anytime you want. Your only obligation is not to talk about this with anyone. Freaks like her don't deserve to live."

"Damn asshole…" Huntress growled, trying to stand up.

Leslie tried to stop her, but Huntress instinct and rage was stronger than her determination; "You stay quiet!" Leslie put her fingers under her shoulder and pressed a nerve. Batman had showed her that lock. The brunette cried out and kept still on the floor.

"You know how to keep her quiet." Morton smirked.

"It's not nice for an officer to act the way you act, Mr. Morton. But I understand how important this is." She released the brunette. The girl took her hand to her the back of her shoulder immediately.

"You don't know how dangerous these freaks are. Move her to the other cell immediately and keep her quiet or next time I won't be so nice with her."

"I need to bandage her, you injured her again," Leslie protested.

"Heal her there." Morton exited the room.

Leslie, worried, leaned over the young crime fighter. Her wound had opened and she had a big bruise on her cheek and a cut on her forehead. "What the hell did you do?" Leslie asked, worried, touching her back.

Huntress, dazed, moved back, refusing her touch.

"Huntress, let me help you." She tried to touch her, but the brunette moved back again and growled. Feral golden eyes glared at her. Leslie noticed she could barely keep her eyes open, he had beaten her senseless and she was confused.

"Please. You are not okay." Leslie said with a soft voice.

The guards at the door walked inside the room and tried to hold the girl. Leslie stopped them. She would try to fight and hurt herself even worse.

"Please, let me try first," she said to them.

The brunette rested her forehead on the floor; everything was moving around her. She needed to escape, she needed to get out of there.

"I didn't want to hurt you."

The voice was echoing, far away, she struggled to remain conscious. Her instinct was the only thing that kept her conscious, it was like a scream that blocked her escape. Don't surrender.

* * *

A hand touched her. 

That was when she reacted violently, she tried to hit Leslie. The doctor avoided the fist; she was faster, or maybe the young woman was very stunned. Leslie wrapped her arms around her, holding her by her back.

"Huntress, it's me, calm down," she said softly into her ear. Huntress tried to break the hold, but luckily for Leslie she didn't have the strength. Leslie pressed her arms harder. "Huntres stop! Focus in my voice! You know me!"

Huntress felt a sharp pain in her back, she arched and rested her head on Leslie's shoulder.

"You are hurt! Let me help you!" Leslie almost shouted.

She blinked, she knew that voice.

"It's me monster, calm down," the old doctor lowered her voice.

Huntress closed her eyes.

"I'm Leslie," The old doctor whispered in her ear.

"Leslie?" she opened her eyes slightly.

"Yes, I'm Leslie. I need to treat you," Leslie said softly, "You are pretty badly hurt, let me help you."

Huntress lost her body; she didn't have any more strength. She felt terribly sick; her back and her leg were throbbing.

Leslie kept talking to her feeling her relaxing in her arms. "That's it, big girl, you are safe…" she soothed, "You are bleeding. I need you to let me help you." She moved her hand up and brushed her hair. "Now, two men are going to help me to take you to the bed. Okay? Let them move you."

Huntress remained unmoving. Leslie looked at the man and nodded. "Please be careful," she said. He leaned down and slowly picked up the girl in his arms to take her to another cell. Leslie followed him.

* * *

Barbara was totally focused on finding the code that Leslie had sent her. Alfred walked into the room. The Not having news from her two friends made her felt tense. 

"Miss Barbara, don't you think it would be good for you to try to eat something? I prepared spaghetti."

"Yes, in a second, call Dinah, I'll be there in a few minutes," she answered distractely.

"Miss Dinah hasn't arrived yet."

Barbara moved back."What? She told me she was coming here…" she looked at her watch, she had been so absorbed that she hadn't noticed the time, "… two hours ago." She pressed a button, "Dinah, this is Oracle, where are you?."

Silence on the comm.

"Dinah? It's late, I need you to come back."

She felt something was wrong, Dinah wasn't like Huntress, it wasn't like her to not respond to her comm. She typed at the keyboard, looking for her signal.

"Something wrong, Miss Barbara?"

"Dinah has disappeared, her comm signal is dead… I can't locate her."

"She talked with Master Reese."

"True." The red head pressed a button, "Maybe she is with him."

::Detective Reese::

"Reese, this is Oracle, is Dinah with you?"

:: No, she told me she was going to see you after we talked in my apartment. I'm finishing checking all the files as you requested. Something wrong?::

Barbara felt a heavy weight over her shoulders. She rubbed her nose and took a deep breath. "I can't find her. Did you find anything?"

::Are you sure she disappeared?::

"Yes." She shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll look for her, let me know if you find anything."

::Yes… sand.::

"Sand?"

::Yes, but not a usual type, on their clothes, it's red, like clay.::

"Alfred will find you. I need to analyze it."

::All right, Ill go back to my home, that was the last time that I saw Dinah, maybe I will find some clues::

The redhead couldn't hide her worry. She looked at Alfred. "I need to know what happened to Dinah."

Alfred touched her shoulder, "She knows how to take care of herself. I'll go see Master Reese."

Barbara sighed, she couldn't do more. "Right, I need figure out this code."

* * *

The place was almost completely dark. Not pleasant. An old woman was seated on the side of a mattress where a young woman lay stomach down, her back bare. She had a tray in her lap and was pouring alcohol on some cotton. 

Cold, she felt cold on her back. Slowly, she opened her eyes: After a few seconds, she could see a grey brick wall in front of her. Where was she?

Cold again, it was a cloth, and a woman's hand was moving it softly on her back. She slowly turned her head to the other side. Leslie sat next to her, cleaning her back.

"How do you feel?" the old doctor said softly.

The brunette didn't respond; she looked at the bars of the cell that caged her.

"Forget it," Leslie said, knowing what was she thinking, "Titanium and electricity."

Huntress closed her eyes. Dammit. She wanted to get out of there.

"How do you feel?" Leslie asked; the girl didn't respond. Thomkins understood she was annoyed. "I'm sorry for the lock." She moved a dry towel on her back. "But he wanted to kill you. I didn't want that, you are at a disadvantage. If you attacked him again, I couldn't stop him. Why did you attack him? Are you crazy? You opened your wound."

"He was going to hurt Dinah," Huntress mumbled. "I couldn't let him."

"He was taunting you, what did he want?"

"Where is Dinah?" Blue eyes looked around.

"Don't worry, she is safe now." She took some gauze and tape, "You are lucky, only the stitches opened, I was so worried for your lung. Now tell me what he was trying to do, taunting you with Dinah."

Huntress remained silent.

"Angry again? You are always angry, do you know that anger and aggression stem from fear?"

"I'm not afraid."

"We become hostile when we're trying to protect ourselves, but there's the secret. What we're trying to protect is that soft, warm, compassionate, vulnerable place in ourselves. It's because you are open to the world and can be deeply touched that you strived to shield your heart in the first place. I choose to try to remain open. You choose keep it hidden."

Helena kept silent again, with her look lost. After long silent seconds she whispered: "Why do you call me little monster?"

Leslie smiled, covering the open wound with the gauze. "Long story."

"I want to know."

" I called your father monster, he scared me. He was dark, mysterious, he had something that always made me feel scared of him. I knew, in some way, he felt something for me, but… I couldn't avoid feeling scared."

"I heard that, that he scared people."

"Yes, he has a strong personality. When I met you and I knew you were his daughter… it was a big surprise for me." Leslie finished taping the gauze, "You were terrible, so I decided then to call you: "Little monster," a perfect nickname.

Huntress smiled slightly.

"That's the story." Leslie patted her back. "Ready."

"Are there more metas here?"

"Yes, they are locked in another room, Dinah is there too. Morton prevents them from trying to escape by keeping them drugged."

"How is Dinah?"

"I'm going to see her now."

"We need to get out of here."

"Huntress, you were shot just three days ago, please, Morton has injured you, and, this time, seriously. You are meta, you heal faster, but you are not indestructible. You need time to recover. Don't try anything. Use your head, not your heart please. Give me time, deal?"

Huntress didn't like the idea. Morton was a dangerous man.

"Please," Leslie brushed her hair, "I've never failed you."

She was right. The brunette nodded, closing her eyes. But she was not sure her patience would help. She felt sleepy. "You drugged me again?" she mumbled.

"No, I just gave you something for the pain. Now sleep, I'll be back later with news about Dinah." The doctor kept petting her until Huntress slowly fell asleep. She felt a light vibration on her hand, she moved her arm slowly to the back of Oracle's protégé and felt her purring. She smiled to herself. She hadn't felt her purr since she was a child.


	17. Action

Years of experience working with the dark knight had given him the knowledge to know what to do and help the crime fighters. He was more than a butler and he knew it; he was a team worker, and part of that dysfunctional family with characters so different, but with the same passion.

"Alfred, could you please help me with this?"

The old butler turned his head and walked toward Barbara. He had given her the samples of sand that Detective Reese gave him. They had found the Hummer parked on the next block from Reese's appartment.

"Do you find anything, Miss Barbara?"

"I think so. Dinah disappeared in the same zone as the others metas and from the murdered ones. All are three kilometers from this point." The redhead showed him a screen.

"It's Centertown… Hard for him to hide there."

"Yes and no. It's full of people, who would look for a lunatic there?"

"I hope the sand that Reese gave you will help us close the circle."

* * *

Inside the room with the cells, Leslie Thomkins walked inside one of the small jails, she looked inside each one until she found the blond girl. She was on a stretcher. The guard closed the door behind her and she went toward the entrance.

When she was sure he had gone, she put the doctor's bag on a table and leaned over the Dinah. "Dinah, wake up." She clapped her cheeks gently. "Dinah, wake up."

Dinah numbly opened her eyes.

"Come on, I need you awake," Leslie whispered.

The blonde hesitated.

"I'm Leslie Thomkins, the doctor."

"Dr. Thomkins?" she whispered.

"Yes, listen to me…"

Dinah realized she was inside a small cell. "Where am I?"

"Don't move," Leslie looked back, none of the guards was near, "Morton trapped you, too. I need you to listen to me."

"I sent Oracle a message; but I don't know if she will find us in time. Listen, Morton is doing experiments, his idea is to end meta-humans; he is working in a serum to do it, and he is using people like you as guineas pigs."

Dinah rubbed her head. "I'm feel sick. What happened?"

"I think they drugged you. Oracle talked to me a bit about your abilities, explain to me exactly what you can do with your mind."

"Why?"

"Morton is not a sane person. At any moment, he could try to kill any of you. We need to do something before it's too late."

"Huntress?"

"She is okay… but you know her; it's difficult try to keep her calm. I'm "helping" Morton to create a virus to kill meta-humans and he is becoming impatient. I don't know how much time I have."

"Are you helping him?" Dinah looked at her, confused.

"Of course not kid, I'm screwing up all their work. Now tell me, what things can you do?"

* * *

"I got it!" Oracle couldn't hide a big smile. "The sand comes from the south part of the city."

"But it's a big area miss Barbara." Alfred pointed.

"I decoded Leslie's email, she said she didn't know where she was, but it's a place without windows, cold and has brick walls. The rooms are small and the doors are heavy and made of iron."

"Must be a place like a refuge."

"Refuge?" Oracle asked

"When I was a boy during the Second World War, every time the enemy attacked, alarms sounded and we ran to underground refuges. They were located in several places in the city," Alfred explained.

"London."

"Right."

Oracle moved back in her chair. "I heard about those places here in Gotham. They were a kind of experiment. Yes… I heard my father talking about it." She typed at the computer, "he said there were six…" an image appeared on the screen, six points around the map of New Gotham.. "And one of them is located in the southern part of the city. We have them."

"Excellent."

The redhead picked up the phone again, "We need to move quickly Alfred, "Is the Hummer ready?"

"Yes, Miss Barbara.".

* * *

Huntress looked around for a way to escape, she checked the lock on the door, under normal circumstances, she could easily break it with a kick, but, of course, she had support on her leg. Her patience had run dry, Morton had the kid, Leslie was helping, but she couldn't do much against that mad man. She heard the main door open. She limped back and sat on the small mattress next to the wall.

"Comfortable?" Morton smirked, standing up in front of the cell with his hands behind his back, "Are you still refusing to tell me who's looking for you?"

She glared at him and remained silent.

"Do you want me to ask your blonde friend?"

"I think you are not smart enough, you're always using others to try to get me." She stood up angrily, supporting herself with a hand on the wall to keep her balance.

"Don't press your luck, Huntress."

"I'll say it again."

He smiled and looked at her with curiosity. "I know who is looking for you."

Huntress froze. She didn't know what to think.

"That person is coming here now."

Huntress went toward the bars and squeezed them with her hands. "Morton, if this is between you and me, why don't you keep other people out of our fight? Are you afraid?"

"Don't be stupid, girl." Morton clenched his teeth.

"You are, you know I can defeat you when I'm recovered."

"I want to see you smile when this person comes here. You will beg me to forgive you." He turned in annoyance and exited the cell.

Huntress followed him with her gaze, was he joking or had he found Oracle? That couldn't... dammit, maybe he had forced Dinah to tell him. She needed to find a way to move out before he could hurt her. She looked up at all sides of the cell.


	18. Saved by

He waited patiently at the place Morton had told him to meet with him. He didn't understand why Oracle had ordered him to try to keep Morton entertained as long as possible. Knowing her, she had something in mind; but he didn't have any idea as to what it could be.

He was on the corner of a park, a male voice behind him ordered him to walk to the next block and climb inside a black van. He didn't turn; he just obeyed and followed the instructions.

* * *

"I think she is playing with us," Dr. Moore said to Morton in the hallway. He was worried, he had been checking the notes and they didn't seem right.

Morton took the notes and checked them. "Are you sure?"

" Yes, I'm sure of the formula, she... she is not creating one that works well," Moore explained, "she erased our data files with the excuse of rewriting them, and I'm sure that information is wrong."

"I need go to talk to her, I'll be right back.." He gave him the notes and walked to the other side of the corridor. Moore sighed and shook his head.

The guard that kept the cells and was standing up outside the door, heard a noise inside. He looked inside the cells through a window and saw the brunette lying unmoving on the floor. He called one of the guards that was in the corridor and both walked inside.

Moore turned his head and looked at them. "What happened?"

"She is on the floor," the guard said opening the door.

"What?" Moore ran inside. He kneeled next to the young woman and took her pulse. She growled softly. "Are you okay?"

She growled softly again.

"Open the door," Moore ordered.

"But sir...."

"Open the door and take her to the infirmary now!"

The guards opened the cell and took her by her armpits. As soon as they moved her out, she hit both of them with two fast moves. Moore tried to escape, but she took him by his back; slamming him against the floor she buried her feral eyes on him. He trembled. She smirked at her prey.

"If you touch me again with your nasty hands, I'll rip your head off of your neck, understand?"

The man nodded.

"I heard you talking about Leslie Thompkins, where is she?"

"Lower floor, left corridor, first stairway."

"And the blonde? Where is she?"

"Downstairs too, second cell."

"Good." She hit him roughly in his face, knocking him out. She turned, the guards were standing up, she ran to the open door and turned to the left, but she stopped running when a man with pointed a rifle at her and shot, she rolled to a corridor on the right side, the shot alerted the other guards. She hid behind a wall. Things were going worse. Maybe she had pushed her luck. Well, what luck? The last few days have been nasty.

She was feeling much better, but still wasn't one hundred percent, well, maybe not even seventy percent. She limped lightly to the next corridor. She heard a click and ducked in time to avoid a shot. She ran as fast as she could and found a closed door. The last door of that part of the building. She pushed with her right shoulder and opened it. Dammit, it hurt but she didn't have any other choice.

She looked around, it was a kind of old storage room. Near the ceiling, she could see some holes in the air conditioner ducts and pipes that crossed the ceiling. Many old storage boxes were lying about. End of the road. Great, she was trapped again.

She heard a gun click. She turned her head. A man pointed his rifle at her. Well, maybe this was the end of a bad week.

She felt strong hands on her back that raised her by her armpits, the movement was fast, but in time. The shot missed her. Suddenly she was flying up. More shots crossed next to her head. Before she could turn back, the hands pushed her through one of the air conditioner ducts on the wall. The movement was rude and she just closed her eyes, she stumbled and slipped down until a wall stopped her.

"Shit..." she grunted and held her back. Lately, the blows to her back were frequent, they had never bothered her until last week. A noise called her attention. She raised her head, someone was slipping from the same duct where she had fallen. A familiar figure appeared, slipping down softly.

* * *

Leslie was with Dinah inside the laboratory, she was preventing, as she did with Huntress, Moore from keeping her drugged. She finished her check on the girl, she was okay, still a little woozy. "Do you feel better?" Leslie asked softly looking her.

"Yes, thanks..." the blonde said.

"I got a message from Oracle, she will help us. Don't try anything, Morton can still hurt Huntress. She is having a hard time healing with that man attacking her every minute." Leslie looked Dinah. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Dinah couldn't hide her nervousness, she sat up, "I think so.... Oracle talked to me about you..."

"I hope in a good way." Leslie smiled.

"She told me you are so kind and gentle... I never guessed..."

"You never guessed what?" the doctor raised a brow.

"Well, that you would be gentle with me... you don't know me."

"You can be nice with everyone, it doesn't matter if you know them or not."

"Well..." Dinah muttered brushing her hair back behind her ear, "it's... it's that... just, well, usually people are not nice with me."

"I don't understand…" Leslie frowned.

"My parents thought I was a freak…" Dinah said with low voice.

Leslie remembered that Oracle had talked with her a bit about the teen's sad childhood experience. "Well… but… they weren't you real parents."

"I know but…" Dinah hugged her self "well, right until school it has been difficult. I'm feel strange there."

"Dinah, everybody feels strange in High School, it's the closest thing our society has to  
institutionalized torture."

"Helena says he same."

"Of course, she told me that once." Leslie explained, "she used to run away often."

The blonde smiled lightly. "And now she is…"

Leslie touched her shoulder. "Don't worry, she has been in worse trouble. Trust in Oracle."

"I am"

They heard steps, Leslie stood up and checked the girl's pulse while the blonde closed her eyes as if she were sleeping.

"Dr. Thompkins." Morton stood up at in the doorway, "I need to talk with you, alone."

The old woman nodded and followed him.

* * *

"Barbara?" she blinked.

"Yes, it's me." She picked up the rope tied to her back. Huntress noticed she had wrapped her legs back with a strange harness.

"What's...?"

"It's the best way to move in this place, climbing and swinging."

"The transponder?"

"Not useful now..." She removed a bag from her waist.

"How did you find us?" Huntress asked slowly.

"Leslie and some help from Reese, how do you feel?" Barbara asked, looking at her back.

"A bit sore... but I'll survive."

"Your leg?"

"Bothers me a bit..."

Before the brunette could say anything, Barbara buried a needle in her arm.

"Dammit!!" the young crime fighter growled. "What is with you people and needles?"

"Morphine, it will help you with the pain," Barbara said. "I brought you some clothes, I don't think you enjoy fighting in a medical robe. Where's Dinah and Leslie?" The redhead cleaned her arm.

"Downstairs... Morton told me he had found out who was looking for me. I thought it was you."

"Reese, it's him. Don't worry."

"We need to hurry, they know Leslie has been tricking them."

"Right, change your clothes and follow me." The redhead began to crawl in the air duct and taped a small box on one of the walls.

Huntress marvelled as she watched her. Her mentor never ceased to amaze her. She looked at the pants that Barbara had brought her. She frowned. "These aren't my leather pants. These are my training pants."

"I don't think you will be able to wear the leather ones for at least two weeks with your leg hurt. Hurry up."

"What is that thing you are wearing?"

"I can do my gymnastic routine very well, Hel, but my legs do not respond, so I keep them far from any risky situation and to give me more free movement. Let's go." She showed her a map on her palm. "We need to move out of here, we can move over the pipes and go to the lower level to find Dinah and Leslie."

The brunette looked the screen, "We don't have time, go for Dinah, I'll go for Leslie. We need the kid and her powers now."

"Are you sure you can...?"

"I can."

"Wait. Take this." Oracle took her transceiver out her pocket. "We must be in contact. I'll go down, you look in the next floor. Got it?"

The brunette nodded

* * *

Dinah felt Leslie was in trouble, she focused on the main control of the cells. She never had done anything like that but Leslie had told her she could do anything she wanted, she just needed try. It was hard, she couldn't see it, Leslie had told her just where it was. She sat at the bed and closed her eyes trying to focus.

Morton circled Leslie in his office. She felt nervous, she felt something was wrong. That man was not stupid; she had played so much with time. She had finished to erase all the research that they have been doing; and she was giving Huntress time to recover, but she wasn't helping much. She stayed still, not showing him any emotion.

"Do you think I'm an asshole?" he asked.

"No, I would never think that."

"No.." he stood up in front of her, "So... what is this?" He showed her some papers.

Leslie recognized the notes from the formula. "What? It's our work, I don't understand."

"You have been screwing up our work." He glared at her.

A short circuit made Dinah opened her eyes. She looked at the bars of her cell stunned and touched it. The electricity had gone. She smiled and pushed the door. It opened easily. "It worked!" she thought, it was incredible the confidence in herself what she could do. She walked outside the cell and looked at the people lying in the other cells. She could help them later, she needed to help Leslie and Huntress first. The main door opened suddenly.

"What the...?" a guard shouted.

She raised her hand and pulled him inside crashing his back against a wall. Another guard walked inside and she ducked to avoid his blow, she hit him harder on his face. The guard that was lying on the floor shook his head and taking the gun pointed it at her. The grill of the air conditioner by the ceiling opened with a big noise falling over the man's hand. He dropped the gun. Dinah knocked the first man and turned, she kicked the second man on his jaw an he fell unconscious too.

Immediately she looked up. "Oracle?" she blinked.

"You did well," the redhead smiled, "I'm glad you are okay, where is Leslie?"

"Morton took her to his office."

"Come here." Oracle crawled back and took her palm. She pressed some buttons. "I got her." she took her lapel "I got Leslie. Dinah said she's in Morton's office. Second level."

::Copy that. I'm near.::

"Huntress? But.." Dinah climbed inside the duct.

"She is hurt. But we didn't have time. came on, follow me."

Dinah noticed her legs. "Oracle..." she mumbled.

"Later Dinah, just move." the red head interrupted. She crawled through the duct again. The blonde, amazed, followed her, she was an incredible woman.

* * *

"Detective Reese?" a man removed the bandage over the detective's eyes.

"Yes." he rubbed his eyes and looked around, the place was totally unfamiliar to him.

"Follow me please." the man opened a door and he walked inside.

* * *

His eyes changed to feline pupils. Leslie froze, how had he taken Selina's child's abilities? She was not there. He smirked. "I improved my own serum, thankfully I didn't give it to you."

She stepped back.

"Now, tell me, why did you screw up all my work? tell me and ill give to you a fast and not so painful death."

Leslie reacted quickly and slammed her knee in his crotch, she ran outside and pushed the guard at the entrance; but in the corridor, two more men were blocking the way. She tried to step back, but she could see Morton walking towards her.

"Now Doctor Thomkins, your time is over." Morton said, "Maybe we can test some of our formulas with you too."

"Now Doctor Thompkins, your time is over." Morton said, "Maybe we can test some of our formulas on you too."

A man grabbed Leslie by her back. She tried to free her self but the man was strong. The door next to them opened, Huntress appeared and hit his back with a big pipe.

"Get behind my back!" the brunette shouted, hitting the second thug with the pipe and making him release the gun. She turned and punched the men that had been grabbing Leslie knocking him out. She winced in pain and bit her lip. Leslie noticed it and looked at her in concern.

"Good, Huntress, good," Morton grumbled. "It will be a pleasure to finally finish with you. This is going to be your fight to the death."

"Try it," her blue eyes turned feral, she looked him, "your luck is finished."

"You can't!" Leslie touched her arm.

"Move back!" the young woman shouted with firm voice preparing to attack


	19. A fight to the Death

Morton smirked and walked towards her, "Need help to fight?"

Leslie moved against the wall. The once hunter felt trapped. Helena prepared… to defend rather then to attack. He knew she was at a disadvantage. Morton threw her a punch which she stopped using the pipe. He smiled; the brunette took a step backwards, he was taunting her.

"Oh, quick reflex, that is good." Morton turned and threw a kick; she blocked it with the pipe. He didnt loose time and threw a second one that she stopped too. Huntress turned and hit him in his side with the pipe with a fast movement, she hit him again on his head. He stepped back and she put the pipe in front of her. She was lucky Barbara had trained her on the batons in her free time.

"Leslie," she said to the doctor, "look for the exit."

"But…"

"She is here, just do it!"

Leslie understood who Huntress was talking about; she didn't want leave her alone but she knew it was better to listen to her. She ran to the next door.

Angrily Morton tried to hit the brunette; she blocked the fist with one side of the pipe and hit him with the other. A guard appeared behind Huntress. He raised his gun toward her. She was lucky to be meta, she turned on time and threw the pipe at him to make him release the gun. The shot miss her mere inches. Morton used the distraction and kicked her in her leg. She grunted and fell on her knees.

* * *

Oracle raised her head. That had been a gunshot.

"Did you hear that?" Dinah asked.

The red head motioned her to stay silent. After a few seconds she looked upside and pushed the door with a blow of her fist. She climbed out. "Hurry, this way." Dinah followed her. As soon as she was out, she saw Oracle throwing a rope to one of the pipes at the ceiling. She used it easily to climb up and to slip easily though the place. "Go down, run to the end of the corridor." her mentor ordered. She followed her instructions and jumped down.

* * *

Leslie ran through the corridors, looking for an exit.

"Where are you going?" a guard shouted. "Stop!"

The old woman tried to run and the man pointed his gun to her. A door opened and Reese appeared. When he saw the guard pointing a gun at Leslie. He immediately pushed the man that was walking toward him and, taking his gun he shot the man's hand. The man grabbed his hand and the doctor punched him on his jaw. The man instantly was knocked out. That punch came from below, up to the jaw, another move Batman had taught her. Reese looked at her surprised, it seemed as if all the women that he met were not exactly sweet and fragile.

"Who are you?" The doctor asked disconcerted.

"Dr. Leslie Thompkins?" He asked her. He had seen her picture in the newspapers, she was a very well known doctor in the city.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Reese, Det. Jesse Reese, a friend of Huntress and Oracle." he explained walking towards her. "Where is Huntress?"

"She…"

They heard boots charging. "Don't move!!"

"Damn!" Reese mumbled as three guard pointed guns at them.

Oracle heard the voices. She moved to her right sliding through the old gas pipes above and arrived on time as the three men arrived. She raised her head and looked around; she found some electric cables easily. She secured the rope around her waist to the pipes and took out a knife from her belt, she put her night vision glasses on and cut it with a fast movement. The lights blinked off. She took the oppurtunity and pushed her self down.

Reese and Leslie heard noises in the middle of the darkness; some grunts and in a few seconds silence. They didn't know what had happened.

"Take her out of here." They heard a female voice. "Later, go to the lower floor; there are people trapped there detective."

"Oracle?" Reese raised his head trying to figure out what was happening. "Huntress?"

"I'm on it, do s I say."

"I'll find the exit Oracle, you need to help." Leslie took Reese's arm. "Hurry detective, you don't have time."

* * *

Morton raised his leg to hit Huntress in her face, but she stopped the blow by grabbing his foot with her hand. She twisted it to make him fall. She stood up limping. "Not an easy piece of cake eh?" she smirked.

"You are dead." he licked his lip standing up with incredible agility and attacked her. She had worked many hours in the training room with Oracle, and knew where her own weak points were, the ones that her mentor usually used to beat her in combat. She used that strategy against him and soon he was on the floor again. Filedl with anger he attacked her. Now the brunette understood why Oracle always told her have cool mind. The fury had blinded him. She was at a disadvantage, but she used his anger against him.

She punched him harder. Morton crashed against a door and fell inside the room that was his office. Huntress jumped to him and punched his face twice. She felt really good doing it, she had been waiting do it for long time too. The wound in her back was bothering her by her abrupt movements but it didn't matter to her; Morton was dangerous. He tried to stand up but she kicked him down and locked his arm on his back. "You lost..." she growled.

"No... You lost." He smiled, his eyes changed to normal again. With out warning, the pipe that she had been using, flew through the air hitting her roughly in her back. She growled and released him. Morton didn't give her time to think, he turned and hit her with his elbow on her side.

The next thing she felt, was his fist against her face. He tried to punch her again but the crime fighter reacted and surprised him with a kick. She shook her head, she felt grateful for her instincts. He glared at her and raised his hand. The brunette found her self suddenly flying through the air. She hated that. Dammit, it seemed as if he enjoyed using her as a ping pong ball. He didn´t waste time; as soon as she fell on the floor he sent her flying against the bookcase. The heavy furniture broke under her weight.

"Your friend has great mind powers," white his fists in balls he walked up to her, "It's a shame she didn't know how use it."


	20. Merry Christmas

The pain in her back was killing her; he didn't give her time. Using the telekinetic powers that he was stealing from her friend, he pushed the young woman against his desk. It was like be inside a tornado, she felt her self stumbling from one side to another. Morton saw a heavy bustier and launched it against her. The heavy object crashed on his target. Huntress clenched her teeth as her leg hurt.

"Are you enjoying this "hunt"?" Morton smirked circling her.

Unexpected, he felt her leg in his gut knocking his wind out. He stepped back. The brunette shook her head, she was in a lot of pain but she couldn't stop. She supported her weight on her elbows to stand up again.

Angrily Morton raised the pipe that was on the floor with his mind and using it as a javelin, he threw it towards the brunette. Dinah appeared and looked horrified at it; she raised her hand and stopped the stick a few inches from Huntress' back. Dinah looked him with anger.

"I knew you were near." Morton raised his hand to her sending her a wave of impact. The blonde raised her hands creating a force shield infront of her to avoid the blow. Morton smiled. "This is going to be a pretty nice fight." He used his mind power and began to throw objects at her. She kept her shield on to protect her self.

He raised his other hand to push the brunette to the floor.

"Leave her alone!" Dinah shouted.

"It will be a pleasure killing both of you." Morton laughed enjoying the feeling of power that Dinah's abilities gave him. He walked toward the brunette who was struggling to sit up.

"I said leave her alone!" the blonde shouted feeling the anger growing inside her while still using her mind power to shield herself.

Morton laughed "Let me finish with her and later I'll take care of you." Morton turned and raised a heavy table from a corner by just looking at it.

"Shit…" Huntress mumbled looking him. That nut really has stolen her friend's powers. She crawled trying to cover her self with something. Morton sent the table towards her with incredible force.

"Huntress!!!" Dinah shouted lowering her shield. She surprised Morton by slamming him against the wall with the movement of her hand.

The brunette raised her arms to her head trying to cover her self. To her surprise, the furniture bounced against an invisible force in front of her and hit a wall breaking in two pieces. She sighed with relief, that was close.

Morton tried to free himself from the invisible force gripping him. A tight grip around his neck made him choke. Dinah focused on the man; she wanted kill him, he had hurt her friend. Maybe Huntress didn't accept her as part of her family, but she really felt something for the brunette. She and Oracle were her only family, and no one was going to steal her from the only family she had in years.

"Dinah no!" Huntress tried to stand up, but her leg was numb and didn't respond. "Dinah!"

Morton felt the lack of oxygen burn in his lungs. The strength of the blonde surprised him.

"Dinah!... Dammit." The brunette growled looking for a way to support her self and stop her.

"He was going to kill you!" the teen couldn't hide her fury.

"I know, but it's our job is stop him." Huntress fixed her eyes on her, and gazed to the man who was struggling to breathe. "You did it. You stopped him; you did it well, our work is finished. Let him go."

"No, he will try to kill you again. I'm not going to let him try to hurt us again."

Oracle looked through the grille of the air duct, she knew her protégée would kill Morton; she looked for her lazer pen to cut the screws.

"Dinah," the brunette had managed to stand up and went to her. "don't be like him. Let him go."

The young girl didn't respond, her eyes, still focused on him, welled up.

"I'm okay kid, let him go," Huntress said, "we did our job. Let the police do it's job."

"But he…" the blonde hesitated but she slowly released her grip on the man. Huntress noticed it. Oracle removed the grille but didn't move; she watched the two girls in silence.

"Look at me," blue eyes looked for the teen's, "you saved me. You did it. We finished. I don't want you kill just for me; I'm not worth it."

"You are worth it!" Dinah looked at her with anger. Morton fell to the floor coughing. "Don't say that. You are my family! As is Oracle! I can't let him try to hurt you again! Why I can't stop him?"

Huntress looked at her with sadness, "I don't want you live my nightmare," she talked to her in soft voice, "I've lived in darkness for so long... fighting against my fears, my anger... its been difficult. My only light has been Oracle... and now you. I don't want to lose you."

"You worth so much to me." The blonde hugged Huntress crying, "I have been so scared thinking I will lose you."

"Kid…" Helena couldn't avoid hug her. She understood the need for love from her friend; she had felt the same once, many years ago. When her mother died.

Oracle smiled; she felt touched. Morton coughed trying to take in air. The red head took out one of her sticks and threw it against his head. He fell to the ground, knocked out. Huntress and Dinah heard the noise, they looked at him and then up.

"Nice shot." the brunette smiled.

"I haven't lost the touch." the red head smiled too.

"I can imagine," she looked the blonde, "she used my ass to practice when I was in high school."

"Not my fault." Oracle said, she heard noises from the corridor. "Ill see you out." she put the grille in it's place again.

"Huntress," Reese walked inside the place at that moment, "are you okay?"

"Yes…" the brunette replied, she tried to walk and her bad leg. Dinah held her to prevent her from falling.

"You are not okay." the blonde said.

"I just need a moment."

"Sure, sure." The detective moved his arm to her back and helped her to walk. "Is Oracle here?" Reese asked "She helped us a few minutes ago."

"She just left." Huntress smiled at him, "she doesn't like the mess."

"And the people downstairs?" Dinah asked.

"I called police, they will arrive in a few with paramedics. They are okay, just drugged." He looked worriedly at the thin brunette. "A doctor needs to check you."

"Don't remind me. I have just one and she is always grumpy with me." Huntress raised her brow, "and I guess she is waiting for me outside."

"You are right." Reese looked her feeling happy to see her again.

"She is a pretty bad patient." The blonde winked.

"You don't need say that." Reese said, "I know."

* * *

Dinah took a sip of her coffee sitting in the kitchen, her gaze lost in the steaming liquid in front of her. She felt ashamed, she was sure she had disappointed her mentor and it made her feel sad. Inside Barbara's room, she and Leslie were tending again to Helena. The girl barely could move after the last fight.

"Want something to eat Miss Dinah?" Alfred asked.

"I'm, not hungry, thanks."

"I thought you'd feel happy to see everything is okay now."

"I'm happy." she raised her head to him. The sadness in her pale blue eyes was evident.

"Well, you look as if you were coming from a funeral."

* * *

Leslie finished cleaning the young crime fighter's wound in her back. It had been maybe the fourth time in the week alone that she had done it. Thankfully it would be the last. She moved back and gave Barbara the gauze and removed her gloves. "Done. How do you feel Hel?"

"Like a piece of shit?" the brunette raised her head lightly.

"I hate your vocabulary." the red head glared at her.

"I feel like it."

"You will be okay." Leslie patted the girl's shoulder, "now try to sleep."

"I'll go to see Dinah." Barbara took the tray with the scisors and medical equipment and put it in her lap.

"She is a good girl, she just needs love."

"I know. It has been hard for her; and it has been even harder trying to convince her she is a great girl. She is so insecure of herself."

"You can do it." the old woman crossed her arms and sat at the border of the bed.

"I'm trying." the red head smiled shy.

"And you are doing it wonderfully," Leslie smiled back, "I don't know where you find your protégées, but they are marvellous."

Barbara thought for a second in silence "Just one of them has given me more headaches that the other... but... yes, they are good girls."

"Bad joke." Helena grumbled.

"Shhhht, I said sleep." Leslie said raising a needle, "or want a shot in your ass?"

"I got it." the brunette closed her eyes again.

Barbara laughed and wheeled outside the room.

* * *

"I screwed it all up," Dinah finally said slipping in the chair.

"Why do you say that?" Barbara arrived in the kitchen suddenly.

Dinah tried to correct herself. "We were just talking." she said nervously moving her hair behind her ear with her hand.

"She felt ashamed because she thinks she didn't do a good job." Alfred explained raising his brown. The blonde wanted kill him with her look. Why he had told her that?

"You did a marvellous job Dinah." the red head cocked her head, "why do you doubt it?"

Dinah tried to avoid her gaze.

"Dinah?"

"I acted stupidly, I wanted to kill him." the girl stood up.

"But you didn't do it."

"But I wanted to," the teen looked at her, frustrated, "and that's not the thing you expect of me. I... I disappointed you."

Barbara blinked. "Who said that?"

"No one, I'm sorry." Dinah hugged her self and lowered her head.

"Dinah, I'm proud of you, you did an excellent job, really." she wheeled toward the teen. "You didn't kill him, that what's important. This training is to teach you to know your feelings, to control your temper, to think with your head. You did that."

"But it was because Helena was there."

"But you did it."

"And what if she wasn't there?"

"If I didn't trust in you, I never would have sent you on a mission. I sent you because I know that you can do it; you are a great girl. You are learning. Don't run Dinah, all of this takes time. And you are doing it so well!" Barbara touched her hand, "You are here because I know that you can do it; trust in you. If you don't do it, all my effort and Helena's work would be useless. It's all in you."

"If they don't trust in you." Alfred interrupted, "be sure you wouldn't be here."

"It's true," Barbara smiled and caressed her cheek, "this is your home, we want you to be here, we want you to be part of us... Thanks so much for being here."

Dinah hugged her, crying. She knew that Barbara, like Helena, wasn't used to expressing their feelings; and when she did, was because she really was feeling it.

"Thanks..." she mumbled. It was the first time in many years, that she felt part of a real family.

* * *

Helena stirred on Barbara's bed, like a lazy cat stretching her muscles. She felt like she had never slept so well. She turned to the other side of the bed and threw her arm out to hug the pillow next to her. She felt a soft, stuffed skin. She opened her eyes and raised her head immediately when she saw...

"Jaçques?" she mumbled. She looked at him in silence, it had been many years since the last time she had seen him. Eight? Nine years? He looked just like she remembered him; she moved her hand and took him, slowly she brought him to her and fixed her eyes on him. Her mind was lost in memories that raced through her head. A tear appeared in her eye and she hugged him, burying her nose in the old stuffed cat. She had wrapped her arms many times around him to feel warm and secure; she had almost forgotten how nice it felt.

"I thought you would love to see him again." Barbara's voice was heard at the door.

"Where did you find him?" Helena sat up in the bed slowly.

"In the box that you hid in my room." She wheeled inside the room.

"I had forgotten it."

"You wanted to forget it." The redhead sat next to her, "I found him lonely and dirty, so I sent him to the laundry..." Barbara smiled and patted the stuffed head, "remember what happens when you use a dryer."

Helena couldn't avoid laughing.

"How do you feel?" Barbara asked gently.

"I'm fine, thanks. Now I remember why I loved to sleep in your bed, it's soft and huge." The brunette rested her head on the pillow.

"Well, you better forget it soon because it's my bed."

"Don't be selfish. It's Christmas."

"For that reason, I'm here. You slept so long, dinner is ready and were starting in thirty minutes."

"It's late?"

"Yes, almost nine. Dress and come down, Leslie, Reese, Dinah, Alfred and Dad are here."

"Your dad is here?"

"Yes." Barbara nodded shyly. She knew they weren't the best friends.

"I'm glad to hear that," Helena said sincerely.

Barbara felt the sincerity in her words and smiled. "I know, thanks."

"I hope they forgive me, this year I haven't had time to buy presents."

Barbara leaned and whispered, "Don't say anything, but you did."

"I did?" The young woman raised her brow.

"Yes, I went to buy it for you, Jaçques went with me."

Helena laughed. "You're kidding."

"No, now dress, we'll meet you downstairs." The redhead winked and wheeled toward the exit. Suddenly, she stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot."

"What?"

"I bought this for Jaçques," Barbara wheeled back and gave her a small box.

Helena curiously opened the box and laughed again, loudly. "A tuxedo?"

"It's Christmas night. We hoped he'd join us, so... I bought something useful for him tonight."

"Oh this is great." Helena examined the small costume, kneeling on the bed.

"We'll meet you two downstairs."

"Wait." Helena took her hand before she could wheel back again.

"What?"

"Our first Christmas was sad," Helena said.

Barbara sighed remembering and nodded.

"But you helped to make it wonderful. You made me love Christmas after I hated it so much."

"You helped me to love it again." Barbara smiled.

Helena was bad at showing her feelings, but there were some, the strongest ones that lived inside her heart, that she couldn't deny; and even more when they were related to the woman that truly had rescued her from the darkness so many times. She leaned over and hugged her; Barbara wrapped her arms around her. Selina's child had grown up; the same child that had made her laugh and later, the teen that had helped her to survive her nightmares, to turn in the present into the young and brave woman that was her best friend, her daughter.

"Merry Christmas, Hel," the redhead whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Barbara," Helena answered softly.


End file.
